Vegas Play of the Day: Utah vs. Duke

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, March 27, 2015 | 2 a.m.

For anyone who's asked for bigger-money bets in the South Point-lined Play of the Day, your gift is below.

I’m going to get mildly irresponsible managing my $10,000 starting bankroll with what’s tied for my largest wager in the history of the competition.

Utah plus-5.5 vs. Duke: $880 to win $800

Duke’s kind of soft. The Blue Devils may have “peaked” too early. They don’t have the defense to win the national championship.

Sounds crazy, right? I agree. Those are all faulty assessments. But they’re all also actual statements I heard two weeks ago when Notre Dame ousted Duke 74-64 from the ACC Tournament.

Two NCAA Tournament victories and covers against overmatched opponents where Duke shot unconsciously later, and not even someone who still has a picture of Christian Laettner’s face attached to their dart board is expressing such shortcomings. Duke is now practically penciled in to play for the title two Mondays from now in Indianapolis.

That’s a mistake, because the Blue Devils are in for a heck of a game tonight in Houston. The matchup with the Utes is one I eyed from the moment the brackets were released.

I hoped to get four points on the point spread with Utah. I’m getting more and acting accordingly.

Utah is the rare team with the size to slow Jahlil Okafor. It’s also got the best-kept coaching secret in the country with Larry Krystkowiak, who will have schemes implemented for the rest of Duke’s stars after having five days to prepare.

Duke’s not as great as it’s been lauded for the blistering tournament start. It’s also not as vulnerable as many jumped to assert after every loss.

The Blue Devils are somewhere in the middle, somewhere not far from the Utes.

Standings: Keefer (71-70-2, $10,887), Bern (71-65-1, $9,976), Brewer (63-75-3, $3,205)

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.