The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-11, 1-6 ACC) look to snap their five-game losing streak when they clash against the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (17-2, 5-2 ACC) at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The game is scheduled to get underway at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Duke opened as a 9.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 165 points.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Prediction
In the Blue Devils’ last matchup, they blew out the Pittsburgh Panthers, 81-54. The Blue Devils held the Panthers to an offensive rebounding percentage of 23.3 (below the 28.3 mark opponents have averaged against Duke this season) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.449 (below their season average of 0.506). With 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting, Wendell Carter Jr. was the top scorer from either team.
The Demon Deacons fell to the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers in their last game, 59-49. Virginia’s 25.8 offensive rebounding percentage was their biggest advantage over Wake Forest, who had a rate of 20.0. The Cavaliers’ mark was below their season average of 28.1, while the Demon Deacons’ was below their season average of 31.1. With nine points and 13 rebounds, Doral Moore had a good game for Wake Forest.
Points at the line might be scarce for Wake Forest in this contest. The Demon Deacons rank 139th in the NCAA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.248, while Duke ranks 15th in FTA rate allowed (0.172).
Duke heads into the game with records of 17-2 straight up (SU) and 11-6 against the spread (ATS). Of the Blue Devils’ 17 games that accepted bets, 13 have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest owns records of 8-11 SU and 6-11 ATS. Unlike Duke, games including the Demon Deacons tend to go under the total (70.6 percent).
Gary Trent Jr. has averaged 17.8 points and 1.8 steals over the last five games for Duke.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Marvin Bagley III scored a game-high 30 points in the first game, in which the Blue Devils defeated the Demon Deacons 89-71, covering as 17.5-point favorites. He also recorded 11 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 160 points, which was just 4.5 points below the projected point total of 164.5 points. The Blue Devils made 27 of their 34 free throws (79.4 percent) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.544 vs. 0.427).
Duke Blue Devils at Wake Forest Demon Deacons Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Duke is 6-3 ATS on the road with 8 overs and 1 under.
At home, Wake Forest is 3-5 ATS with 4 overs and 4 unders.
Duke ranks third in assists per game (19.6) while Wake Forest ranks 191st in assists allowed per game (14.7).
The Blue Devils rank first in rebounds per game (43.6) while the Demon Deacons rank 138th (36.1).
Duke ranks 120th in three pointers attempted per game (22.5) while Wake Forest ranks 226th in three pointers allowed per game (24.2).
The Blue Devils rank 34th in steals per game (7.8) while the Demon Deacons rank 116th (6.4).
Duke ranks 18th in blocks per game (5.6) while Wake Forest ranks 82nd (3.8).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Duke is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Wake Forest is 0-5 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Blue Devils’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 15.4, down from 19.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Demon Deacons have scored an average of 65.8 points per game (8.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 76.0 points per game (2.8 above their season average).
