The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will have to dig deep if they are to take down the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils this coming Tuesday on the road. Duke is still hoping it could win the ACC regular season title, but a loss to Wake Forest could put an end to that dream. Going into the matchup, the Blue Devils remain favorites to win the 2019 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament, with a price of +250 that clearly assumes Zion Williamson will be back in the lineup. Wake Forest on the other hand, is sitting at the bottom of NCAAB Futures, priced at just +200,000 to whip up a miracle.
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Betting Preview for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Duke Blue Devils College Basketball Game on March 5, 2019
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
When: Tuesday, March 2, 2019, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Wake Forest Demon Deacons (odds) vs. Duke Blue Devils (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-17 Overall / 4-12 Conference)
After a date with the Syracuse Orange that resulted in a 79-54 home loss, the Demon Deacons will have the tough date with Duke. The last time the Demon Deacons met their diabolical brothers from the ACC, they were left howling in pain by Duke in an 87-65 loss in Winston-Salem last month. Although the gap between Wake Forest and Duke this season is akin to the space in the middle between two galaxies, it’s not hard to look for reasons why it’s still smart to lay money on the Demon Deacons in this game. For one, they have covered the spread in two of their last three games in Durham. Bettors could also look to take a chance on the over, as the totals have gone beyond the line in three of Wake Forest’s last three games away from home. Wake Forest lost the rebounding battle in the first meeting with the Blue Devils, but it had more offensive rebounds, 19-13.
Wake Forest is 5-5 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 meetings with Duke dating back to 2014.
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (25-4 Overall / 13-3 Conference)
The sheer talent combined with incredible unselfishness of the Blue Devils were enough to crush Wake Forest back in January. In that game, Duke started out hot, putting up 42 points in the first half. That’s more than Duke’s season average of 41.0 points per game – sixth best in the nation – so look for the Blue Devils to start the rematch with Wake Forest like a house on fire – with or without Williamson. Williamson did not suit up for the third straight game due to a knee issue, missing Saturday’s 87-67 crushing of the Miami Hurricanes at home. The freshman man-child ate up Wake Forest’s defense last month, scoring 30 points on 13-for-16 shooting from the field to go with five rebounds, five assists, and four steals Wake Forest wished it could have sent an extra defender to Williamson, but that was not an easy thing to call, with RJ Barrett being such a good threat, too. Barrett had 31 points in that game and seven assists. Barrett is leading Duke with 23.2 points per game. Overall, Duke had 36 field goals on 24 assists.
Duke, which is sixth in the nation in points per game, is 3-0 ATS in its last three games against Wake Forest. This season, Duke is 13-11 ATS after a win.
Update: Zion Williamson is not expected to return for the Wake Forest game.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins in a blowout, 91-62, with or without their superstar.
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