It will be a battle between A10 opponents when the George Washington Colonials (9-12, 2-6 A10) welcome the Duquesne Dukes (14-8, 5-4 A10) to Charles E. Smith Center. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
George Washington is a 2-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 130.5 points.
Duquesne Dukes at George Washington Colonials ATS Prediction
The Dukes are trying to rebound after their 61-58 loss to the No. 24 Rhode Island Rams in their last matchup. Rhode Island’s 14.1 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Duquesne, who had a mark of 26.7. The Rams’ mark was worse than their season average of 13.9, while the Dukes’ was above their season average of 14.6. Duquesne’s Eric Williams Jr. had a solid game, contributing nine points and 10 rebounds.
In the Colonials’ last matchup, they got blown out by the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, 70-52. St. Bonaventure’s 13.9 turnover percentage was their largest strength over George Washington, who had a mark of 21.2. The Bonnies’ mark was better than their season average of 14.6, while the Colonials’ was above their season average of 16.9. Yuta Watanabe had a good performance for George Washington, leading the team in scoring with 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting.
Half-court execution will be critical when a pair of the nation’s slowest-paced teams battle. George Washington ranks 339th in possessions per game (64.9) and Duquesne is 275th (67.8). Additionally, the 40th-ranked defense of the Dukes (effective field goal percentage allowed of 0.470) will face off against the 310th-ranked offense of the Colonials (effective field goal percentage of 0.473).
Duquesne holds records of 14-8 straight up (SU) and 8-6 against the spread (ATS). Dukes games tend to go under the total (64.3 percent).
Meanwhile, George Washington is 9-12 SU and 6-11 ATS. Much like Duquesne, a little over half of Colonials games have finished under the total.
Williams Jr. has averaged 19.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the last five games for Duquesne.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Williams Jr. scored a game-high 21 points and the Dukes defeated the Colonials 69-52, covering as 1-point underdogs. He also had 12 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 121 points, which was 10.5 points below the projected point total of 131.5 points. Duquesne had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.543 vs. 0.402). George Washington, meanwhile, did a terrific job of making free throws (7-10; 70.0 percent).
Duquesne Dukes at George Washington Colonials Free Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Duquesne, ATS Winner – Duquesne, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Duquesne is 3-4 ATS on the road with 6 unders and 1 over.
George Washington is 4-3 ATS at home with 4 overs and 3 unders.
Duquesne ranks 49th in rebounds per game (38.7) while George Washington ranks 250th (32.8).
The Dukes rank 89th in three pointers attempted per game (23.7) while the Colonials rank 252nd (18.2).
Duquesne ranks 40th in steals allowed per game (5.3) while George Washington ranks 119th (6.4).
The Colonials are 18th in the nation with 2.4 blocks allowed per game while the Dukes are 54th with 2.8 blocks allowed per game.
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Duquesne is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
George Washington is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Dukes have been outscored by an average of 1.4 points in their last five games. On the season, Duquesne has defeated opponents by an average of 6.9 points.
During their last five games, the Colonials have scored an average of 61.6 points per game (2.2 below their season average) and allowed an average of 75.0 points per game (5.3 above their season average).
