Arizona has a big challenge tonight at the McHale Center as Duke comes to town and they come with the defense that is getting it done. So far their No. 6 in the nation allowing 33% shooting and offensively shoots 47.9%. Good stats contributed by the three lower-level teams compared to Duke and they lost by five to Kentucky. Arizona's only shooting 45% from the field but most of that's attributed to Caleb Love who has had a slow start, especially at Wisconsin where he was miserable. He’s had a week off to think about the loss. I think he's ready to come out at home and play a great game. Arizona to cover.

I'm a biased Arizona alum but once again will take the bait. The Wildcats have never lost two in a row under coach Tommy Lloyd since he took over in 2021. It's a 10:30pm body clock start for Duke in one of the most raucous environments in college basketball. It's arguably the biggest game at McKale Center in decades. I wish I was going, but instead I'll be yelling loudly from afar. Arizona wins by 3-6 points.

I'm grabbing Duke on the opener here as a slight dog at FanDuel. I think they move to a two or three point favorite by tipoff. Both teams have beaten up on tomato cans and lost their only true test of the season so far. The difference is despite playing two of the worst teams in CBB (ODU, Canisius), Arizona ranks 243rd in three-point FG percentage defense. That's bad news when facing Duke. Good game but I give Duke a significant edge defensively in this matchup.