The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-11, 1-6 ACC) welcome the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (17-2, 5-2 ACC) to Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Demon Deacons will try to snap their five-game losing streak. Duke is a 9.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 165 points. Action begins at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Duke Blue Devils at Wake Forest Demon Deacons Free Preview
In the Blue Devils last game, they dismantled the Pittsburgh Panthers, 81-54. Wendell Carter Jr. was the games leading scorer with 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting. Duke played a nearly flawless game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 40.6 (below their season average of 41.1) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.625 (above their season average of 0.576). For those same stats, Pittsburgh was 23.3 and 0.449, respectively.
The Demon Deacons are trying to rebound after their 59-49 loss to the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers in their last contest. With nine points and 13 rebounds, Doral Moore put together a solid outing for Wake Forest. Virginia held the Demon Deacons to an offensive rebounding percentage of 20.0 (below their season average of 31.1). Wake Forest, on the other hand, did an excellent job of making free throws (11-14; 78.6 percent).
Points at the line could be rare for Wake Forest in this contest. The Demon Deacons currently 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).
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. Duke games have finished over 76.5 percent of the time, while games involving Wake Forest have finished under 70.6 percent of the time. The Blue Devils hold a sizable advantage in both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 17-2 SU and 11-6 ATS, while the Demon Deacons are 8-11 SU and 6-11 ATS.
Gary Trent Jr. has taken his game to another level over the last five games for Duke, averaging 17.8 points and 1.8 steals per game.
These teams have already met once this season. The two teams combined to score 160 points in that game, which was just under the projected point total of 164.5. The Blue Devils won 89-71, covering as 18-point favorites. The Blue Devils dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had an absurd free throw rate of 0.474 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.544. The Demon Deacons were 0.093 and 0.427, respectively, for those same stats. Marvin Bagley III recorded a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
Duke Blue Devils at Wake Forest Demon Deacons ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- 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).
- Duke is 6-3 ATS on the road with 8 overs and 1 under.
- Wake Forest is 3-5 ATS at home 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 averages 22.5 three pointers per game, which ranks 120th in the nation. Wake Forest ranks 226th in three pointers allowed per game (24.2).
Betting Trends:
- Wake Forest is 0-5 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Duke is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Demon Deacons have been outscored by an average of 10.2 points in their last five games. On the season, Wake Forest has defeated opponents by an average of 1.3 points.
- During their last five games, the Blue Devils have scored an average of 85.0 points per game (7.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.6 points per game (3.2 below their season average).
