The Duke Blue Devils just got served with a reality check in a recent loss in Raleigh. That hurt their chances to secure a No. 1 seed in the national tournament, but they will have to put that loss behind them and move on. They are after all, priced at +750 to win the 2020 Championship, just behind frontrunner Kansas (+700). The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are not going to dance in March, but they need wins if head coach Danny Manning wants his seat to cool off a bit.
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Betting Preview for the Duke Blue Devils vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons NCAA College Basketball Game on February 25 2020
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem
When: Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils (Odds) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Odds) – view all 2020 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (22-4 Overall / 12-3 Conference)
Disappointment were written all over the faces of the Blue Devils last week when they fell to the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh, 88-66. Perhaps it was a punch in the gut the Blue Devils needed to keep their focus. The Blue Devils are locks to get in the national tournament whether they lost to NC State or not, which could have contributed to their lackluster performance in that game against a team whose March Madness fate was mostly tied to the result of that contest. The Blue Devils are still a stacked team with tremendous pieces and a great head coach in Mike Krzyzewksi and will walk into their rematch with the Demon Deacons with a newfound determination. Vernon Carey Jr. was almost unstoppable for Duke against NC State, and he’s definitely raring to meet Wake Forest again. In the Blue Devils’ 90-59 win over Wake Forest back in January. Carey scored just eight points and had three rebounds in only 21 minutes of action, though there was really no urgent need to let him play heavy minutes considering the blowout nature of the game.
Duke, which plays the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday, are averaging 82.4 points per game, as of this writing. The Blue Devils are also 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games against Wake Forest.
Betting on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-15 Overall / 4-12 Conference)
The Demon Deacons got another black eye last week, as they lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at home, 86-79. Wake Forest made 49 percent of their shots from the field but was only 5 of 16 from behind the arc. That’s just up to par for the Demon Deacons, though. They are only making 33.7 percent of their 3-point shots this season. In their loss to Duke, the Demon Deacons sank just four threes on 13 attempts. Wake Forest is among the best teams in the nation when it comes to coaxing fouls and making trips to the foul line. In fact, it is 23rd nationally with 23.3 free-throw attempts per game, but is just making 17.3. The Demon Deacons need to keep being aggressive but it would help them a lot if they cut down on wasted freebies. In the Duke game, they went just 9 of 16 from the charity stripe, suggesting a lack of effort to challenge their defenders while just settling for easy shots from deep that they were never good at consistently making.
The Demon Deacons are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 82-70.
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