American (+120) Fractional (6/5) Decimal (2.20)
Eastern Time Central Time Mountain Time Pacific Time
Help Center
Can Duke Cover Huge NCAAB Spread Against Pittsburgh?

Can Duke Cover Huge NCAAB Spread Against Pittsburgh?

Written by on January 10, 2018

NCAA Basketball Betting News
The seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils will look to rebound from their humbling loss to NC State last weekend when they hit the road to take on a Pittsburgh Panthers team that has been inconsistent at best in splitting their first 16 games this season. Now, let’s find out where the value in this matchup lies, as Duke comes in as a huge betting favorite at the NCAAB spread.

Blue Devils vs. Panthers NCAAB Spread & Game Preview

  • When: Wednesday, January 10, 2018, 7:00 PM ET
  • Where: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Radio: 620 AM (Duke) / 93.7 FM (Pittsburgh)
  • Live Stream: Watch ESPN
  • NCAAB Spread: Duke Blue Devils -19.5 (Over/Under at 155.5 points)

Team Records

  • All: Duke Blue Devils 13-2 / Pittsburgh Panthers 8-8
  • Home: Duke Blue Devils 10-0 / Pittsburgh Panthers 7-5
  • Away: Duke Blue Devils 3-2 / Pittsburgh Panthers 1-3
  • As Favorite: Duke Blue Devils 10-2 / Pittsburgh Panthers 2-1
  • As Underdog: Duke Blue Devils 1-0 / Pittsburgh Panthers 1-7
  • ATS: Duke Blue Devils 8-5 / Pittsburgh Panthers 6-5
  • Over/Under: Duke Blue Devils 12-1 / Pittsburgh Panthers 2-9

Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week

Recent Head to Head (Last 5 Games)

  • Record: Duke Blue Devils lead 3-2
  • Score: Duke Blue Devils 71.40 / Pittsburgh Panthers 67.00
  • Field Goal Percentage: Duke Blue Devils 43.07 / Pittsburgh Panthers 44.17
  • Rebounds: Duke Blue Devils 30.00 / Pittsburgh Panthers 36.20
  • 3 Point Shots:  Duke Blue Devils 50-127 / Pittsburgh Panthers 21-75
  • Steals: Duke Blue Devils 4.60 / Pittsburgh Panthers 4.60

Why Consider Betting On Duke at -19.5?

Why bet on the Blue devils in this matchup? Because they’re the far better team at both ends of the court and will have plenty of motivation after getting beat the last time out. Duke got smacked around in their 96-85 road loss to NC State on Saturday despite getting a stellar performance from freshman big man Marvin Bagley III who scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss. While Duke shot a blistering 51.7 percent from the field, they’ve been lacking at the defensive end of the floor lately, dropping two of their last four games including an 89-84 road loss at Boston College on Dec. 9. “We played crappy defense. We were a little frantic, they played their butts off, we’ve got to get better. To me, it’s that simple,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters after the game. “Now the process of getting there; that’s what we’ve got to figure out. … The continuity of what you have to bring every day just isn’t there yet. We have to come to work every day.” Senior guard Grayson Allen scored only eight points in the loss, including three in the second half while shooting just 3-of-9. “When you’re playing teams and you’re consistently giving up 80 and 90 points, you want to try to limit that,” Allen said. “That comes to our defense. We’ve got to get stops.” Allen is shooting just 33.3 percent in conference games. “I’m not blaming it on him, but when it’s not there, you know it’s not there and it just hurts you in every way,” Krzyzewski told reporters. “This group only has one veteran like that. The youth can show more if that one veteran is having a human night where it’s not good.” The Blue Devils will be without injured backup forwards Marques Bolden (3.7 points, 3.4 rebounds) and 6-10 sophomore Javin DeLaurier (4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds).

Why Consider Betting on Pittsburgh at +19.5?

Why bet on the Panthers in this contest? Because they’re completely desperate and getting almost 20 damned points! Pittsburgh has lost three straight games and comes into this contest off a humbling 81-67 road loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday despite getting 20 points and four 3-pointers from junior Jared Wilson-Frame. According to the NCAAB Spread, Pittsburgh comes in as a huge underdog against Duke. The Panthers are struggling mightily to score the ball right now as they are the only ACC team without a conference victory and have failed to reach the 70-point plateau in each of their last five games. “Our youth shows up in different ways in just about every game,” Pittsburgh coach Kevin Stallings said. “It’s challenging, but at the same time, we have a great group of guys and a very resilient group of guys. … We have to let them know — and we do let them know — that we’re all in this together.” Pittsburgh has suffered from senior forward Ryan Luther (12.7 ppg, 10.8 rpg) missing the last six games with a stress fracture in his right foot. “It’s not feeling like his return is really close at this point,” Stallings said.

Latest College Basketball Betting Trends

  • Duke is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
  • Duke is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 10 of Duke’s last 11 games
  • Duke is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
  • Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home

Expert analysis and Prediction

While 54 percent of public bettors like the Panthers to cover the NCAAB spread in this contest – I disagree. Pittsburgh is having some serious problems scoring the ball and Duke can put points on the board in a hurry! The Blue devils are averaging over 26 points per game more than the Panthers and have gone 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 road games. Pittsburgh is just 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against their ACC counterparts and the road team in this series has gone 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings. Duke wins big to cover the NCAAB spread! Pick: Duke Blue Devils -19.5
Help Center