Thursday brought big-time showdowns in Fort Myers, San Diego, and Paradise Island — and top-10 teams were tested. Duke stayed unbeaten behind freshman Cameron Boozer, while Michigan State smothered North Carolina. For bettors, late-game covers and total plays proved profitable on a sharp night for cappers.

No. 4 Duke 80, No. 22 Arkansas 71

Cameron Boozer poured in 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including a pair of threes and several clutch buckets late as Duke stayed unbeaten in Chicago. The freshman added nine rebounds and carried the Blue Devils through a tight second half. Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II combined for 26 more as Duke moved to 8-0 for the first time since 2015.

Arkansas kept things close behind 21 points from Darius Acuff Jr., but couldn’t recover after a late 7-0 Duke spurt. Meleek Thomas and Billy Richmond III added 11 apiece. Trevon Brazile had 11 rebounds to lead all players.

Capper Insight: Neal Harris locked in Duke -4.5 early off late steam and key matchup edges. He’s now hit 5 of his last 6 NCAAB ranked spreads.

No. 9 BYU 72, Miami 62

BYU overcame a halftime deficit to beat Miami and reach the ESPN Events Invitational final. The trio of Kennard Davis Jr. (18 pts), Robert Wright III (17), and AJ Dybantsa (16) powered the Cougars, who used a 43-29 second half to take control.

Miami’s Malik Reneau (14 pts, 9 reb) and Shelton Henderson (13 pts) led the offense, but the Hurricanes committed 16 turnovers and shot under 40% in the second half.

Capper Insight: The Computer Model pegged BYU 2H -2.5 as a sharp-side play. It cashed with ease as BYU flipped the tempo after the break.

TCU 84, No. 10 Florida 80

TCU pulled off the upset in the Rady Children’s Invitational, outlasting Florida in a fast-paced semifinal. Jace Posey scored 21 and Brock Harding added 19, including 7 points in the final 60 seconds. David Punch chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds.

Florida, which had won four straight, was led by Urban Klavzar and Thomas Haugh with 20 each. Boogie Fland fouled out late after scoring 12. The Gators will face Providence in the consolation game.

No. 11 Michigan State 74, No. 16 North Carolina 58

The Spartans delivered their most complete performance of the season, shutting down the Tar Heels in Fort Myers. Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 15 of his 19 in the second half, and Carson Cooper added 14. Michigan State shot over 62% after the break.

UNC’s offense sputtered late, going more than four minutes without a field goal to end the game. Caleb Wilson had 18, but the Heels shot just 17% from deep — a problem the Bettors Handbook has flagged in recent efficiency reports.

Capper Insight: Sas Insider took Under 140 as a contrarian spot. UNC’s late drought sealed the cover — his 4th straight win on totals this week.

No. 24 Vanderbilt 89, VCU 74

Vanderbilt advanced to the Battle 4 Atlantis final with a strong second half, shooting nearly 61% after the break. Duke Miles led with 20 points, and the Commodores used a 15-4 run to put the game away.

VCU struggled to keep pace, getting 16 from Nyk Lewis and 15 from Jadrian Tracey. The Rams will face Virginia Tech in the third-place game.

Handicappers Roundup

Sas Insider and Neal Harris remained sharp with ranked matchups and totals. The Computer Picks model hit a live BYU halftime angle, while Sas drilled a key Under and Neal covered Duke.

Explore updated betting trends, free picks, and strategy tools in the Bettors Handbook, or grab tonight’s top plays via Free Service Plays.