Clemson Tigers vs. Duke Blue Devils NCAAB Preview
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium – Durham, NC
When: Wednesday, March 8, 2017 – 7:00 PM ET
Line: Clemson Tigers vs. Duke Blue Devils – view all NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Clemson Tigers (16-14, 6-12 ACC)
Point Spread: ALL GAME LINES HERE
Clemson moved on after an easy 75-61 win over NC State. Jaron Blossomgame and Shelton Mitchell led the way, scoring 22 points apiece, while the team’s defense had the Wolfpack shooting just 38 percent from the floor.
Even with a mediocre record, the Tigers could be heading to Cameroon Indoor Stadium with confidence. In their lone meeting with the Blue Devils this season, Blossomgame had one of his worst performances of the year – 3-for-12 for seven points – but they were still able to showcase some good resiliency before falling short, 66-64. Mitchell, who was able to pick up the slack an post in a team-high 23 points, was a big part of their commendable fight.
If Blossomgame (17.2 PPG) can be just a couple of notches higher from that dud showing, Clemson might be able to pull off an upset. He should get ample help from Mitchell and number two scorer Avry Holmes (11 PPG), who shoots efficiently from outside – 66-for-146 from three in the regular season (45.2 percent).
During the 18 conference games, Clemson put up 73.1 PPG on 45.9 percent shooting, while allowing opponents to score 76.6 points and shoot 48.7 percent.
The Tigers are 5-9 on the road this season (6-7-1 ATS).
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (23-8, 11-7 ACC)
Point Spread: ALL GAME LINES HERE
The Blue Devils’ last 11 games had their momentum going way up and then falling back down. After a seven-game winning streak from late January to mid February, they dropped three of their next four. In that four-game stretch, they scored 70.8 PPG, but only made 39.9 percent of their shots.
The regular season finale had them bowing to bitter rivals North Carolina, 90-83, with their defense being unable to contain Joel Berry, who burned defenders for 28 points and five threes.
Adding to the recent struggle is the concern on how they matched up against Clemson in their previous encounter, as Luke Kennard’s game-high 25 points made him the only Blue Devil to score in double digits. His teammates collectively shot 14-for-34 in the contest (41.1 percent).
Despite all of that, Duke can still give you enough reasons to put your money on them. They are still a dangerous offensive team, thanks to all that talent on their roster. They finished the 2016-17 regular season netting 80.5 PPG on 47.3 percent shooting.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke starts slow but survives another scare from Clemson, 81-78.
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