DraftKings promo code for Friday’s college basketball tournament games: Picks for UNC-Duke, Kentucky-Alabama

There are nearly 40 games on the Friday college basketball schedule and the evening slate will bring most of the college basketball betting attention. Powerhouse matchups such as No. 15 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Alabama in the 2025 SEC Tournament quarterfinals and top-ranked Duke vs. North Carolina in the 2025 ACC Tournament semifinals highlight the action. The latest college basketball odds from DraftKings Sportsbook list the Blue Devils, who are expected to be without star Cooper Flagg (ankle), as 6.5-point favorites against their Tobacco Road rivals. Alabama, meanwhile, is -7.5 against the Wildcats. Other college basketball lines of note on DraftKings for Friday include No. 2 Houston (-6.5) vs. No. 17 BYU, No. 20 Purdue (-2.5) vs. No. 22 Michigan and No. 10 Clemson (-1.5) vs. No. 13 Louisville. 

College basketball fans looking to get in on the action for any of the 38 conference tournament games taking place Friday can take advantage of the latest DraftKings sportsbook bonus, which provides new users with $150 in bonus bets after placing an initial wager of just $5.

Duke vs. North Carolina picks

Even with Flagg, the No. 1 ranked player from last year’s Class of 2024, likely missing this contest, Duke still has some of the most talented freshmen in the nation. Freshman guard Kon Knueppel was second behind Flagg in scoring at 14.2 points per game this season and had 28 points against Georgia Tech with Flagg mostly sidelined. The Blue Devils trailed Georgia Tech by nine points in the first half when Flagg was injured and still rallied for a 78-70 victory. SportsLine’s model is projecting Duke to win by eight, making the Blue Devils the better value against the spread (-7.5).

Kentucky vs. Alabama picks

Junior guard Otega Oweh is currently playing some of his best basketball of the season, scoring at least 22 points in three straight games. He had 27 points, including a game-winning runner with 0.5 seconds left, in an 85-84 win over Oklahoma on Thursday. Kentucky has the No. 3 scoring offense in the nation at 85.8 ppg and can keep pace with Alabama’s No. 1 offense (91.2 ppg). SportsLine’s model projects the Wildcats to cover the spread in well over 60% of simulations as the Crimson Tide have failed to cover the spread in two of three games as a neutral court favorite this season.

Clemson vs. Louisville picks

The Tigers have won nine straight games and have the second-best scoring defense in the ACC (65.3 ppg). They’ve knocked off elite competition this season as Clemson’s current winning streak began with a 77-71 victory over Duke, who has the second-shortest odds to win the 2025 college basketball tournament on DraftKings. SportsLine’s model projects Clemson to cover the spread in well over 60% of simulations after Louisville trailed No. 7 seed Stanford at halftime on Friday before escaping with a 75-73 win.

DraftKings Sportsbook promo for conference tournaments

Here is more information on how to sign up for DraftKings and how to redeem the sportsbook’s new user promotion. Note: This offer is only available for new users who have never signed up for DraftKings before and reside in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WY or WV.

• Sign up for DraftKings on its website and enter the requested information and allow DraftKings to verify your identity and location.
• Make a first deposit of at least $5.
• Make a first wager of at least $5 in order to receive your $150 in bonus bets. 

After placing your first wager of $5, $150 in bonus bets will enter your account – it doesn’t matter whether your first bet wins or loses. The $150 in bonus bets come in the form of six $25 bonus bet tokens, which all expire seven days after they are issued to your account. Bonus bets can only be used once and are non-withdrawable, meaning they hold zero cash value. Any sports bet is eligible for this offer for both the initial bet of at least $5 as well as while using the bonus bet tokens. Bonus bets can’t be combined and also can’t be used with odds boosts or profit boost. Additionally, the bonus bet amount isn’t included in any returns or winnings.

Where to pick Friday’s college basketball tournament games

DraftKings has a promotion similar to two of the other best sportsbook apps in FanDuel and bet365, both of which offer bonus bets after an initial wager of $5. Both DraftKings and bet365 net the new user $150 in bonus bets, while FanDuel is offering $200. The difference, though, is that FanDuel requires new users to win their first bet in order to receive the $200 in bonus bets, while it doesn’t matter if your first bet wins or loses on DraftKings and bet365. 

BetMGM and Fanatics are both running promotions that effectively serve as bet insurance for bettors. BetMGM’s has the higher potential return in that it offers up to $1,500 in bonus bets, but that’s only if your first bet loses and the return is equal to the amount of your initial wager. Fanatics offers up to $1,000 in “No Sweat Bets” where, if your first bet on any of your first 10 days with the sportsbook loses, you’ll receive your wager back in the form of bonus bets up to $100. That returns a maximum of $1,000 in bonus bets, but it also requires each of those bets to lose in order to receive them. As for Caesars, its offer is a bit different as if you place a $1 bet, you can double your winnings on each of your next 10 bets. The maximum wager for each rewarded profit boost is $25, and the max additional winnings for each rewarded profit boost is $2,500.

Responsible gaming with DraftKings

Bettors should be careful when placing bets, and DraftKings takes responsible gaming very seriously. The sportsbook has plenty of available resources for responsible gambling and offers different types of limits for bettors to utilize, such as time, wager and deposit limits. DraftKings also offers cool-off periods and the ability to put yourself on a self-exclusion list, should you choose. 

You can also find resources for those who need problem gambling assistance.