NCAA Basketball
2026-03-27 - St John-s Red Storm at Duke Blue Devils
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16
Friday 27th March 2026 - Scheduled 7:10pm
11:10pm (British Time)
Preview
Over a decade has passed since the Duke Blue Devils last won a NCAA Championship, but they have transitioned from the Mike Krzyzewski era into one being led by Head Coach Jon Scheyer. Last year the Blue Devils came up short in the Final Four, but that is the minimum expectation for the 2026 squad who began March Madness as the favourite to win it all.
They have been set as one of the Number 1 Seeds in the NCAA Tournament, but the likes of Michigan Wolverines and Arizona Wildcats may have stronger credentials to win it all compared with the Blue Devils.
Two very different wins in the NCAA Tournament will not have changed too many opinions- if you liked Duke before the First Round, you will still like them, but if you did feel there were some vulnerabilities in the squad, the First Round performance will have backed up that feeling.
It may be a real shift in the opinion about the Blue Devils if Caleb Foster is able to suit up and give the team a bit more Offensive depth.
Despite his absence, the Blue Devils will believe they still have enough to beat the St John's Red Storm who have joined the Sweet 16 Round as the only Number 5 Seed that have made it this far. They are not the lowest Seed left, but the Red Storm know they will have to find something special if they are going to upset Duke.
Head Coach Rick Pitino is hugely experienced having taken Kentucky and Louisville to National Championships, although a scandal involving Pitino meant his record with the Cardinals was wiped out, including having to vacate the Championship. The reputation has been rebuilt somewhat in his time with the Red Storm and back to back Big East regular season and Tournament titles means this is a team that has plenty of confidence.
The Second Round loss in 2025 has already been bettered by making the Sweet 16, while the narrow win over the Kansas Jayhawks will give the team belief even when things get difficult.
The Red Storm are going to want to make this a low-scoring game in the bid for the upset, but they may not have the Offensive power to stick with the Blue Devils even in that case.
St John's will have a lot of confidence in the Defensive unit they have, but it is the big gap between the two Offenses that will likely play out in this Sweet 16 game. The Blue Devils have the best player on the court in Cameron Boozer and it may end up being a game in which Duke are able to ultimately overwhelm the Red Storm and come through with a late cover of this handicap set.
Prediction
Lay the points with one of the Number 1 Seeds still fighting in the NCAA Tournament.
The Pick :
Duke Blue Devils 71-62 St John's Red Storm
