No. 2 Duke vs No. 15 Troy preview: Game time, broadcast, betting line, prediction

The No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils (27-8) take on the No. 15 seed Troy Trojans (22-14) in the First Round of the East Region. The game will be played at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Friday. Tip is at 7:20 p.m. E.T.

Preview: The Blue Devils were the preseason No. 1 but only finished fifth in the ACC regular season after dealing with injuries, Coach K's absence and Grayson Allen's inconsistency. They turned things on in the ACC Tournament, however, beating Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina and Notre Dame to capture the title and make ACC Tournament history.

Duke is led by fantastic frosh Jayson Tatum (16.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and sharpshooting sophomore Luke Kennard (20.1 ppg).

Troy was the last one standing in an ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference, beating Texas State to win the conference tournament. Sophomore forward Jordon Varnado (16.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) is the Trojans' top player.

You can check out the entire NCAA Tournament bracket here. You can also see how the committee ranked the teams 1-68 here.

Date: Friday, March 17

Time: 7:20 p.m. E.T.

TV Channel: TBS

Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.

Announcers: Brian Anderson, Chris Webber, Lewis Johnson

Opening Betting Line: Duke -19, via OddsShark

This is Duke's 41st NCAA Tournament appearance, and the 33rd under Mike Krzyzewski. They've made it every single year since 1996, and won the national title for the fifth time two years ago. Last year, Duke fell in the Sweet 16.

They are the favorites to win this year's tournament as well.

This is Troy's second NCAA Tournament appearance ever. They appeared in the event back in 2003 as a No. 14 seed, losing to No. 3 seed Xavier by 12.

Prediction: Can Duke keep its hot streak going all the way to another national championship? We're not sure, but it will at least go until Sunday.

We can't see Kennard and Tatum allowing Troy to become another version of Lehigh or Mercer. Duke wins.

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