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Duke tabbed as favorite to win NCAA Tournament

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The field is set for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, and the Duke Blue Devils are the betting favorite to win the national championship.

The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has Duke at +200 to take home the title following Selection Sunday, ahead of Gonzaga (+500), North Carolina (+600), and Virginia (+800). The Blue Devils were also the preseason favorite to win the championship.

Duke (29-5) finished third in the ACC during the regular season behind North Carolina and Virginia. The Blue Devils then claimed the ACC Tournament with three straight wins for head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who won his 15th conference tournament title.

In recent years, Duke has been volatile in the NCAA Tournament. Coach K has led the program to a pair of titles over the previous nine years, but also suffered a couple of first-round exits - to Lehigh (2012) and Mercer (2014) - during that stretch.

This time, Duke isn't exactly in a daunting East region, which consists of Michigan State, LSU, Virginia Tech, and Louisville, among others. The Blue Devils will open up play on Friday against the winner of NC Central versus North Dakota State.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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