NCAAB March Madness Elite Eight UConn vs. Duke Betting Odds & Game Picks

March Madness has certainly had its characteristic end-of-game madness during this 2026 tournament, but it has been very light on upsets. That has been the most true in the East Region, where two iconic programs who were also the top two seeds in the region, the No. 2 UConn Huskies and the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, will play for the chance to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

Duke is coming in as a pretty strong favorite here, but UConn showed that while they are not the freight train they were in 2024 and 2025, they can still win tough, tight games like the one they took over Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen.

Will the Huskies keep their threepeat dreams alive? Or will Duke reach the Final Four for the third time in five years? Read on for our betting picks on the game as well as the top March Madness betting odds in Canada!

March Madness - No. 2 UConn vs. No. 1 Duke - East Region Elite Eight - Sunday, March 29, 3:15 p.m.

All odds provided by Betway.

UConn vs. Duke Spread/Moneyline Prediction

This is one of the most classic matchups in recent March Madness history. UConn is the underdog for this one, but they are also the two-time defending national champions. And they won’t be an easy out here. They fought hard to hold on after a furious Michigan State comeback attempt during their Sweet 16 matchup. And they’ll need a lot more of that kind of fight to take down the Blue Devils as well.

Duke has not looked amazing in any of their three wins so far during this tournament, but they have been able to find ways to stay alive. And we think they’re going to do that again here. They don’t have a ton of experience, with six of their eight rotational players being underclassmen, but they make up for that with the star power of guys like Cameron Boozer, son of Duke legend and NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.

They also showed a surprising amount of grit in coming back from down 10 against St. John’s in their Sweet 16 triumph. The return of key rotation pieces Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba for Duke after  both missed time in March tips the balance in their favor. Five points is a little bit too much to give up to a Dan Hurley team, however, so we’ll buy a couple of points down.

Best Bet: Duke Alternative -2.5 Point Spread (-175)

UConn vs. Duke Over/Under Prediction

This has to be one of the smallest totals we’ve seen throughout this entire March Madness tournament. We get why: the Huskies defense. They are one of the best in the country when it comes to adjusted defensive efficiency. But even still, Duke usually finds a way to get some points on the board.

Against similarly strong defenses such as Michigan State, Kansas, Florida, Virginia, and Michigan, they put up decent numbers, scoring 65+ in all six games, including 70+ in three and 75+ in one of those. All eight games Duke has played in the month of March have gone over this game’s 133.5 point total, and UConn has scored 67+ in all three of their March Madness matchups.

Best Bet: Game Total Points Over 133.5 (-115)