The Duke Blue Devils take on the UConn Huskies. Check out our Women's March Madness odds series for our Duke UConn prediction and pick. Find how to watch Duke UConn.

The Duke Blue Devils trailed the Ohio State Buckeyes by 16 points early in their second-round NCAA Tournament game this past Sunday. The Devils were playing a true road game in Columbus against an Ohio State team seeded No. 2 in March Madness. Put those facts together. That formula very rarely leads to a win for the lower seed. Duke was getting hammered by a good team on the road in March. Ohio State won the regular-season Big Ten championship, earning the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, something Caitlin Clark and Iowa weren't able to do. OSU was a really good team. Duke's odds of advancing were extremely low when Ohio State grabbed that 16-point lead.

Someone forgot to tell Duke to give up and pack its bags for the season. The Blue Devils not only came back; they beat Ohio State by 12 points. That means Duke outscored Ohio State by 28 points on the road after falling behind by 16. Coach Kara Lawson orchestrated a masterpiece. The former Tennessee Lady Vol star under iconic coach Pat Summitt learned well from her tours of duty in basketball. Lawson was a college and WNBA star as a player. She spent several years as a television analyst for ESPN. She also served as an NBA assistant coach. She has rich sources of knowledge and a large number of influential figures in her hoops journey. Those many voices gave Lawson a level of wisdom she has tapped into this March, guiding Duke to the Sweet 16.

When Lawson was a star player at Tennessee, UConn was beginning its dynastic period in women's college basketball. UConn won two national championship games against Lawson and Tennessee, the first in 2000 and the second in 2003. Those two titles were part of a run from 2000 through 2004 in which UConn won four national titles in five seasons. Lawson now has a chance to stand in UConn's way and block the Huskies' pursuit of another Final Four and national title. UConn is making an incredible 30th straight appearance in the Sweet 16. The streak is so long it began before Lawson became a women's college basketball player at Tennessee in the late 1990s.

Here are the Duke-UConn Women's March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

Women's March Madness Odds: Duke-UConn Odds

Duke Blue Devils: +8.5 (-105)

UConn Huskies: -8.5 (-115)

Over: 125.5 (-110)

Under: 125.5 (-110)

How To Watch Duke vs UConn

Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Duke Could Cover the Spread

The spread is surprisingly large, given that UConn was shaky on its home floor against Syracuse, another ACC team. UConn led by only four points inside the final three minutes of that contest and barely survived. This game is on a neutral court in Portland, and Duke is playing far better than the now-eliminated Syracuse squad. Duke's win at Ohio State was impressive in its own right; how it happened, with Duke outscoring Ohio State 63-35 after falling behind 28-12, was even more eye-popping. Duke might not win outright, but it certainly seems capable of staying within eight points of the Huskies, who have been slowed down by a ton of injuries this season and are far from full strength.

Why UConn Could Cover the Spread

The Huskies are shorthanded, but they still have Paige Bueckers, and Duke does not. Bueckers is the best player on either roster. She is a game-changing player whose injury misfortunes have caused her to be a less-discussed national figure in women's college basketball than Caitlin Clark of Iowa. Don't underestimate Bueckers' ability to break this game open and put Duke in huge trouble.

Final Duke-UConn Prediction & Pick

The UConn Huskies might win, but their lack of depth will prevent them from pulling away. Take Duke.

Final Duke-UConn Prediction & Pick: Duke +8.5