— Saturday, February 26th Duke Blue Devils @ Syracuse Orange
The No.7 Duke Blue Devils (24-4, 14-3) have a one-game lead in the ACC standings with three games left in the regular season. They cannot clinch an outright title on Saturday as they head to face the Syracuse Orange (15-13, 9-8). Tip-off on Saturday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Duke won at home against Syracuse by 20 on January 22, and they have won five straight in this series. The Blue Devils have won their last two trips to the Carrier Dome by an average of 9.5 points, and Orange’s last home win in the series was in 2017. Saturday could be the final meeting between Coach K and Jim Boeheim, with Duke leading 11-5, including a 1998 NCAA Tournament win.
Duke Gets Defensive
Duke is 15-11-2 ATS this season but have covered in just two of their last six games. The total is 13-14-1 in their 28 games this season, and the under has hit in five of the last six. Duke is 9-2 away from home on the season, 7-2 in true road games after a win this week at Virginia.
Duke has won five in a row, and their offense ranks 21st in the nation in scoring at 79.5 ppg. They shoot 36.8% from deep and allow just 30.1% by opponents. Duke’s defense ranks 64th in scoring (65.1 ppg) and 45th in shooting percentage (40.7%).
Duke was held to 65 points by UVA, their lowest scoring tally since late January. Jeremy Roach led the way with 15 points off the bench, while AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels both had 13 points. Freshman Paolo Banchero was just 2-for-13 from the field for eight points, and he’s scored at least 11 points in every game this season except for the two against UVA.
Banchero leads the Blue Devils at 16.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg. In the January win over the Orange, he had 15 points, as did Griffin, Wendell Moore Jr., and Mark Williams. Those four players all average double figures for Duke on the season, and the Blue Devils hit 14 3-pointers in the first meeting.
Syracuse Starters Get it Done
Syracuse is 14-14 ATS this season, and the total is also 14-14 in their 28 games. They are 11-3 at home with ACC losses to Virginia and Florida State. They are 0-3 against ranked teams and 2-2 in the last four games overall.
The Orange rank 48th in the nation in scoring at 77.0 ppg, and they shoot 37.4% from 3-point range, 30th in the country. The defense has struggled all season, ranking 301st with 74.0 ppg allowed. They have given up 33.3% shooting from 3-point range and 42.1% shooting overall.
Brothers Buddy and Jimmy Boeheim are 1-2 in scoring for their dad’s team, with Buddy at 19.0 ppg and Jimmy at 13.9 ppg. Cole Swider leads the team with 7.0 rpg and also scores 13.3 ppg. Joseph Girard III (13.3) and Jesse Edwards (12.0) are also in double figures.
The Orange don’t get much from their bench as the starters score 71.6 of their 77.0 ppg. Buddy Boeheim, Swider, and Girard have all made at least 65 3-pointers on the season, but the rest of the team has a combined 36 makes.
In the first matchup with Duke, Syracuse was held to 59 points as they were just 5-of-29 from 3-point range and shot 35% overall. Buddy Boeheim was 2-for-15 for seven points, while Jimmy Boeheim scored 12 points. Edwards and Swider were also in double figures, but Syracuse was -10 on the glass and trailed by as many as 31 points.
Betting Analysis
- Duke Blue Devils -7.5 (-110)
- Syracuse Orange +7.5 (-110)
- Total Points: 151. Over -110. Under -110.
Duke completely dominated Syracuse a month ago, and they have won four of the last five in this series by double digits. This is one of the worst defensive teams Boeheim has ever coached, and they have no depth. If Duke hits the outside shots like they did last time around, this one will be out of hand early.
Betting Pick: Duke -7.5 (-110)
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