Fanatics Sportsbook promo for Saturdays March Madness games: Alabama vs. Duke predictions, odds

Alabama put together an all-time performance against BYU on Thursday.The Crimson Tide set an NCAA Tournament record with 25 3-pointers en route to a 113-88 victory over the Cougars. Alabama ranks first in the nation in scoring and fourth in offensive efficiency, but its performance in the Sweet 16 exceeded everybody’s expectations.The Tide will likely find things much tougher against No.1 Duke in the Elite 8 on Saturday.The Blue Devils are a 6.5-point favorite at the time of writing.Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users a $1,000 No Sweat First Bet sign-up bonus or a bet $30 and receive $300 in bonus bets promotion.The Blue Devils weren’t on the same level as Alabama on Thursday night, but Duke’s offense also had a night to remember against Arizona. Duke defeated the Wildcats, 100-93, behind a near-flawless performance by Cooper Flagg. The presumptive No.

1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft put up 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three blocks in 36 minutes. As you’d imagine, the bookmakers wasted no time hanging a high total on Saturday’s contest between Alabama and Duke. The Over/Under currently sits at 172.5, but it would not be a shock to see it keep climbing after bettors watched these two sides combine for 213 points in the Sweet 16.Most bettors will flock to the over in this battle, but that seems to overlook one very important piece of this handicap: This is a clash of styles.While Alabama wants to go fast and engage opponents in a back-and-forth contest, Duke prefers a plodding tempo and bets that it can outwit and outlast teams in a chess match.That should lead to a feeling-out period in the beginning stages of this contest as these two teams try to wrestle control of the tempo.With the total sitting so high – and likely only going up – a scrappy start is all you need to feel confident in a bet on the under.The Pick: Under 172.5 Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 ye...