Pittsburgh Panthers vs Duke Blue Devils Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – January 28 2020

The No. 8 Duke Blue Devils are seeking more stability now that they are back in the win column following an uncharacteristic stretch in which they suffered consecutive losses. The Pittsburgh Panthers, on the other hand, could use a win against a top 25 team on the road to boost their March Madness resume. The Panthers and the Blue Devils are +30000 and +1000 to win the national title, respectively.

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Betting Preview for the Pittsburgh Panthers vs Duke Blue Devils NCAA College Basketball Game on January 28 2020

Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham

When: Tuesday, January 28 2020, 9:00 PM ET

Line: Pittsburgh Panthers (Odds) vs. Duke Blue Devils (Odds) – view all 2020 NCAAB lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

Betting on the Pittsburgh Panthers (13-7 Overall / 4-5 Conference)

The Panthers were sent back to the drawing board by the Syracuse Orange in a 69-61 road loss last Saturday. Prior to that, the Panthers took care of business in wins against the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Boston College Eagles — both at home. The Panthers shot just 38.9 percent from the field in that game and went only 5 for 21 from the 3-point region, as they were not able to find a solution to Syracuse’s swarming defense. The Panthers simply had a taste of their own medicine as they were usually the ones disrupting offenses with their relentless defensive job. Despite the loss, the Panthers’ defense remains imposing — at least on paper. They are 23rd in the nation with just 62.1 points allowed and 36th in opponents turnovers per game (15.9). Syracuse even had more errors than Pittsburgh, 13-11. The Panthers can’t straight-up fight fire with fire on offense against Duke’s deeply talented roster, but a solid collective effort on defense will give them a better chance to win in Durham this week.

The under is 2-0 in their last two road games.

Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (16-3 Overall / 6-2 Conference)

The Blue Devils needed a win to calm what was an increasingly worrying fanbase. And they got that exactly by downing the Miami Hurricanes last week in a spectacular 89-59 victory. Duke vented all its frustration from a back-to-back set of losses to the Clemson Tigers and the Louisville Cardinals in the Canes, as it fixed the issues that hounded them in those two losses. After committing 31 turnovers in the losses to Clemson and Louisville and shooting only 37 percent in those games, the Blue Devils drained 53.1 percent of their shots from the field, including 11 3-pointers and committed only 10 turnovers. That’s what Duke basketball is this season. The team is third in the nation with 82.9 points per game and 10th with a 48.5 percent shooting from the floor to go with a 54.4 effective field goal percentage which is 19th overall. Duke’s bench will be hard to keep up with for its Pittsburgh counterpart, while the Blue Devils’ starters are easily better this season than the Panthers’.

The Blue Devils are 6-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 home games.

Writer’s Prediction

Duke wins, 80-63.

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