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Duke opens with Belmont in West Region

Mar 20, 2008 - 11:58 AM No. 15 Belmont (25-8) at No. 2 Duke (27-5) 7:10 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Expect plenty of 3-pointers when second-seeded Duke squares off with 15th-seeded Belmont in a first-round matchup of NCAA Tournament's West Regional on Thursday.

The game features two of the top 3-point shooting teams in the nation. Duke is fourth at 9.3 per game and Belmont ranks second with 10.6 shots made from the arc per contest.

The Blue Devils (27-5) are hoping to avoid a second straight first-round upset, after losing to Virginia Commonwealth in their opener last season. The loss snapped a streak of nine consecutive "Sweet 16" appearances.

DeMarcus Nelson is averaging 15.2 points and freshman Kyle Singler is scoring 13.6 per contest for Duke.

The Bruins (25-8) enter the NCAAs on a 13-game winning streak, capturing the Atlantic Sun Conference for the third straight year.

Justin Hare is averaging 14.9 points per game for Belmont, which has lost in the first round - as a 15 seed - in each of the past two seasons.

It will be the first all-time meeting between Duke and Belmont, with the winner advancing to the second round to face either West Virginia or Arizona on Saturday.