Duke vs Pittsburgh NCAA Basketball Odds & Expert Pick.

Duke vs Pittsburgh NCAA Basketball Odds & Expert Pick

Written by on January 22, 2019

Duke has fallen from its perch as the top-ranked team in the nation as the No. 2 Blue Devils continue ACC play on Tuesday night at Pittsburgh, always a tough place to win. However, the Panthers are solid college basketball odds underdogs.

How to Bet Duke vs Pittsburgh NCAA Basketball Odds & Game Info

Last Season

The Blue Devils were 2-0 vs. the Panthers last season. They won 87-52 in Pittsburgh. Marvin Bagley III scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Trevon Duval and Gary Trent Jr. added 14 points each for the Blue Devils, who had six players finish in double figures. Jared Wilson-Frame led the Panthers with 17 points but Pitt was never in it. At Duke, the Devils won 81-54. Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting to lead the Blue Devils, who shot 52 percent.

Duke finished with 24 points off turnovers to go with 18 second-chance points after controlling the boards, leading by as many as 34 points.

Duke is 11-7 all-time versus Pitt, which includes a 5-1 mark since the Panthers entered the ACC in the 2013-14 season. Under Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils are 5-2 in the series. Duke is 2-1 versus Pitt at Petersen Events Center.

Why Bet on Duke?

The Blue Devils are facing former player and associate head coach Jeff Capel for the first time as Pitt’s head coach. Capel is one of six former Duke players under head coach Mike Krzyzewski that is now a Division-I head coach.

Duke handed Virginia its first loss of the season on Saturday, 72-70. The game was just the fourth in NCAA history between two No. 1 ranked teams. Duke was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll and Virginia was No. 1 in the Coaches poll. The 72 points were the most allowed by Virginia over the last two regular seasons, surpassing the 71 scored by Maryland in a 76-71 UVa win on Nov. 28, 2018.

Freshman RJ Barrett scored a game-high 30 points with five rebounds, playing all 40 minutes. It marked his fourth career 30-point game – the second-most by a freshman in Duke history. Freshman Zion Williamson scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting with nine rebounds, two steals and one block in 38 minutes. Freshman Tre Jones missed the game as he recovers from a shoulder injury suffered early in the game on January 14. Not clear Jones plays here.

Barrett continues to lead the ACC in scoring at 23.8 points per game — 11th nationally and third among NCAA freshmen. He has scored 30+ in two of the last three games. Williamson is second in the ACC in scoring (21.5) and is the nation’s only player averaging 20+ points and shooting .600+ from the field. Barrett and Williamson are the only pair of teammates in the NCAA each averaging 20+ points per game.

Junior Javin DeLaurier has made 19 consecutive field goals — one shy of tying the ACC record set by Duke’s Alaa Abdelnaby during the 1988-89 season (20).

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 89.18
  • Field Goal Percentage: 48.86
  • Three-Point Percentage: 31.21
  • Free Throw Percentage: 67.00
  • Total Rebounds: 43.47

Defense

  • Total Score: 67.12
  • Field Goal Percentage: 38.52
  • Three-Point Percentage: 29.26
  • Free Throw Percentage: 67.50
  • Total Rebounds: 36.18

Why Bet on Pittsburgh?

The Panthers are off a 74-63 loss at Syracuse on Saturday. The Orange took control over the Panthers with a 22-4 surge in a span of just over seven minutes in the second half. Pitt has lost 17 consecutive road games, including 14 in ACC play. Pitt’s last road win was an 83-72 victory against Boston College nearly two years ago.

The Panthers started three freshmen – Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens and Au’Diese Toney – for the 18th consecutive game. The trio combined for 31 points and 19 rebounds. Johnson scored in double figures for the 18th consecutive game, extending his Pitt freshmen record for most consecutive double-figure scoring games. He leads the ACC with 18 double-figure scoring games.

Duke vs Pittsburgh should be an easy victory for the Blue Devils.

Four of Pitt’s top five scorers are newcomers with first-year players accounting for 68.2 percent of the team’s scoring. Johnson, McGowens and Toney account for 53.7 percent of the team’s scoring.

Jared Wilson-Frame scored in double figures for the eighth time this season and the 31st time in his career. He finished with a team-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds.

The Panthers are second in the ACC with 19.4 made free throws per game and have made 20 or more free throws in a game eight times. Johnson (5.3) and McGowens (5.2) combine for 10.5 made free throws per game, while shooting 81.4 percent from the charity stripe.

Pitt currently ranks ninth in the NCAA in KenPom Raw Defensive Efficiency. Last season, the Panthers ranked 289th in that category. Pitt ranks fourth in the ACC and tied for 15th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.384). The Panthers have held eight opponents below 40.0 percent shooting from the field.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 76.28
  • Field Goal Percentage: 44.40
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.79
  • Free Throw Percentage: 72.07
  • Total Rebounds: 38.50

Defense

  • Total Score: 66.78
  • Field Goal Percentage: 38.81
  • Three-Point Percentage: 28.71
  • Free Throw Percentage: 69.49
  • Total Rebounds: 37.50

Duke vs Pittsburgh NCAAB Betting Trends

  • Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings
  • Road team is 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings
  • Duke is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
  • Duke is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Duke’s last 16 games
  • Pittsburgh is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
  • Pittsburgh is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh’s last 12 games

Expert NCAAB Betting Prediction for Duke vs Pittsburgh

Bit of a trap game for Duke – take the points.