The No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (0-0) meet the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (0-0) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The game starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
Kentucky is a 1-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 155 points.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Prediction
Last season, Duke finished the regular season with a record of 26-7, earning them a two seed in the tournament. They reached the Elite Eight, where they were defeated by the Kansas Jayhawks. Meanwhile, Kentucky made the tournament last season following a 24-10 regular season campaign that earned them a five seed in the tournament. They reached the Sweet 16, where they fell to the Kansas State Wildcats.
In the 2017-18 season, Kentucky has done a great job of getting to the free throw line. They ranked eighth in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.307), but Duke was among the best in the NCAA at keeping opponents off the line (ranking third by allowing a FTA rate of 0.162). Moreover, the Blue Devils ranked 21st in effective field goal percentage (0.559), while the Wildcats ranked 21st in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.468).
The Blue Devils were 26-7 straight up (SU) last season, but were just 16-19-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas was spot on when predicting totals of Duke games last year, with an even split between overs and unders.
On the other side, the Wildcats owned records of 24-10 SU and 17-18-2 ATS last season. Of Kentucky’s 37 games with betting action last season, 21 finished under the projected point total.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Pick
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes (2017-Present):
Duke ranks 21st in blocks per game (5.0) while Kentucky ranks 172nd in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
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