No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU NCAA Tournament Second Round East Region predictions: Odds, stats, and best bets

The second round of the East Region of the NCAA Tournament continues Saturday with No. 1 Duke taking the court against No. 9 TCU in Greenville, SC.

Duke survived their opening round game against Siena Thursday afternoon, narrowly escaping with a 71-65 victory. Jon Scheyer’s squad trailed by double digits at halftime. Injuries to starters  Caleb Foster  and  Patrick Ngongba II placed a heavy burden on standout freshman forward  Cameron Boozer (22 points, 13 rebounds) and the rest of what is now just a seven-man rotation for Duke.

TCU advanced to the Round of 32 after a hard-fought 66-64 win over Ohio State, led by a balanced attack from  Micah Robinson  (18 points) and  David Punch (16 points, 13 rebounds). No surprise that this was one of the lower-scoring games of Day 1 of the Tournament. Under Head Coach  Jamie Dixon , TCU ranks 22nd nationally in defensive efficiency and excels at forcing turnovers.

This Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between these two programs in men's basketball. TCU is seeking just their second win in program history against a team ranked No. 1 in the nation.