After finally ending their three-game tailspin, No. 20 Duke Blue Devils now head south for a showdown with No. 15 Miami (FL) Hurricanes. The ‘Canes appear to be back on track following a recent two-game skid, having won back-to-back contests against Boston College and Wake Forest. But will the ‘Canes find enough strength to beat Duke? Or will the Blue Devils earn a win in Coral Gables?
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our preview of tonight’s NBA game between the Spurs and the Warriors here.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Duke Blue Devils vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes Preview
Where: BankUnited Center, Coral Gables
When: Monday, January 25, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (15-5, 4-3 ACC)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]On the verge of dropping their fourth-straight game, the Blue Devils erased a seven-point deficit in the second half by unleashing a devastating offensive attack in the last 20 minutes of their 88-78 road win against NC State on Saturday.
Duke’s offense was simply unstoppable in the second half, wherein the Blue Devils shot 71 percent from the field and made seven threes on 11 attempts. Grayson Allen led the way for Duke with 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting, while Brandon Ingram had 25.
Duke is capable of stringing together a bunch of points in a hurry with its deep arsenal of talented scorers, who’ll be collective headache even for Miami’s respectable defense. Overall this season, Duke is fifth in the nation with 85.6 points per game, while averaging 8.8 threes per contest. Allen leads the team in scoring with 20.1 PPG, while Ingram is right behind him with 16.6.
Dating back to 2005, Duke is 5-2 SU and 4-2-1 ATS in its last seven games as a road team in this matchup.
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Betting on the Miami (FL) Hurricanes (15-3, 4-2 ACC)
Miami notched its second-consecutive win on Saturday, defeating Danny Manning’s Wake Forest, 77-63. It was the 14th time this season that the Hurricanes have won by double digits. Doing that against Duke, let alone winning the game, is going to be wishful thinking for the ‘Canes, though, if they can’t find a way to slow down Duke’s offense.
But first, the Hurricanes must certainly shoot better than the 35.9 FG% they had in the win over Wake Forest in order for them to keep in step with Duke. Hopefully for the Hurricanes, they could take advantage of Duke’s relatively lax defense, one that allows 70.4 PPG. Despite their shooting woes against the Demon Deacons, the Hurricanes are still top five in shooting percentage in the conference at 48.6% field goal shooting.
Rebounding will be key for Miami this Monday, as fewer possessions for Duke means a bigger chance for the Hurricanes to win the game. For one, the Blue Devils are fourth in Division I with 1.186 points per possession. That means Tonye Jekiri and Kamari Murphy will have to work double time on the glass to keep Marshall Plumlee and company from collaring those rebounds, particularly on the offensive end.
Jekiri, who had 12 rebounds in the Wake Forest game, tops the ‘Canes with 9.9 RPG, while Murphy pulls down 5.6.
Miami, which is averaging 79.4 PPG, is 9-1 SU and 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 81-74.
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