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The No. 20-ranked Duke Blue Devils (15-5) head to Miami (FL) to take on the No. 15-ranked Hurricanes (15-3) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 25 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Hurricanes enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Wake Forest 77-63 on Saturday. Sheldon McClellan was a key piece with 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-78 win against North Carolina State on Saturday. Grayson Allen led the game in scoring by accounting for 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
Marshall Plumlee has been hot over the last five games for the Blue Devils, averaging 13.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.0 blocks.
It might turn into a shootout as a pair of the nation’s top offenses match up. Miami (FL) ranks 17th in the country with 116.7 points per 100 possessions, while Duke is second in that metric (124.2). Also, the Blue Devils’s second-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 124.2) will face off against the 28th-ranked defense of the Hurricanes (defensive efficiency of 94.8).
Miami (FL) is a slim two-point favorite at home against Duke. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 153 points. The Hurricanes have gone 15-3 Straight Up (SU) and 10-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hurricanes have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 72.5 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 79.2 points per game. The Hurricanes are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .478 from the field. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Miami (FL) offense, which averages just 11.3 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Blue Devils have 15-5 SU and 10-9 ATS records. The Blue Devils are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 40th in Division I at 1.39.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Hurricanes victory, but the win was not enough for them to overtake Duke in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 3-7 SU over the last few meetings. The Hurricanes lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-2-1. Miami (FL) and Duke each held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Over
Notes
Miami is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Miami’s last 7 games.
Miami is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games.
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Miami’s last 7 games at home.
Miami is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games when playing Duke.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami’s last 7 games when playing at home against Duke.
The Miami (FL) Hurricanes hold a solid 4-2 SU record in matchups against Atlantic Coast Conference rivals, while the Duke Blue Devils currently sit at 4-3 in these games.
Duke is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 85.7 points per game (ranked fifth). Miami (FL) allows 64.7 points per game (ranked 38th).
Miami (FL) has allowed an average of 64.0 points per home game this season. Duke averages 80.4 points per away game, ranking 13th in scoring.
The Duke Blue Devils have the second-best offensive rating in the nation (124.2). The Miami (FL) Hurricanes have a defensive rating of 94.8 (ranked 28th).
Miami (FL) has an average field goal percentage of 47.8%. Duke is a winning 4-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Miami (FL) attempts 19.0 three pointers and Duke attempts 23.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Miami (FL) Hurricanes sit at 9-1 and the Duke Blue Devils are 11-4.
Duke, the 22nd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.4 per game. Miami (FL) ranks lower at 158th with 3.6.
Miami (FL) ranks 46th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Duke ranks 47th.
On average, Duke forces a turnover rate of 18.4%. When Miami (FL) turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a tremendous 5-1 record.
