The Syracuse Orange will play host to the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday in a battle of two ACC foes. Syracuse is 16-10, and they’ve won three straight, most recently defeating NC State 75-72 on Tuesday. Duke is 18-8, and they topped Notre Dame this week 68-64. Duke has won seven in a row against Syracuse, so we’ll see if the Orange can finally end that streak today on their home floor.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Syracuse Orange Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Money Line |
| Duke Blue Devils | -1.5 (-104) | Over 140.5 (-110) | -115 |
| Syracuse Orange | +1.5 (-118) | Under 140.5 (-110) | -104 |
Duke Blue Devils vs. Syracuse Orange Match Details
Fixture: Duke Blue Devils @ Syracuse Orange
Date & Time: Saturday, February 18, 6:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: JMA Wireless Dome
Duke Blue Devils vs. Syracuse Orange Key Stats
Duke is averaging an excellent 107.2 points per 100 possessions, and they’re also one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Blue Devils average 11.5 offensive boards, with star big man Kyle Filipowski, along with centers Ryan Young and Dereck Lively II crashing the glass at any chance they get. Duke’s size presents problems for opponents, but their main weakness has been their perimeter shooting. The Blue Devils convert only 32.4% of their threes, so typically they rely on Filipowski (15.1 PPG) down low to do most of the heavy lifting. Jeremy Roach has been solid as well (12.5 PPG, 3.0 APG), so expect these two to have the ball in their hands quite often today.
Syracuse is a good scoring team, averaging 108.3 points per 100 possessions, with senior Joseph Girard III leading the way. Girard III averages 16.9 points, while Judah Mintz (15.6 PPG, 4.7 APG) and Jesse Edwards (14.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG) contributing a lot too. The Orange are very efficient shooting 46.9% from the field in all games, and even higher at home. At times, though, their defense can falter, especially due to their lack of defensive rebounds. Syracuse only grabs 66.5% of available defensive rebounds, much lower than the NCAA average of 72%. It might be tough for the hosts to deal with Duke’s bigs today, so Edwards and several other ‘Cuse players need to help clean the glass.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Syracuse Orange Betting Prediction
Duke is 0-7 this year on the road against sub-.500 teams, but they do match up well with Syracuse. The Blue Devils have underperformed this season, but we can’t deny how talented their roster is. I know Duke has been difficult to trust this year ATS, but they have a great history against Syracuse and they’ve covered four of the last five. They should be able to ride Filipowski to a tight victory today in enemy territory.
Prediction: Duke ML (-115)
Lucas Abrenica’s NCAA Basketball ATS & ML picks this season are 69-54-3 (+91.2 units)
