The Duquesne Dukes (1-0) visit Rupp Arena Friday to take on the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (1-0). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Duquesne vs. Kentucky odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Wildcats are coming into this game off a 95-63 take down the Howard Bison in their season opener Monday, covering a 25-point spread. Kentucky was led in scoring by transfer G Antonio Reeves, who had 22 points.
C Oscar Tshiebwe, who is the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, did not play but seems set to make his season debut against Duquesne. I would expect limited minutes for the big man.
The Dukes crushed Montana 91-63 Tuesday, cruising to a comfortable victory after leading 45-19 at the half and easily covering as 3-point favorites. Duquesne was led in scoring by G Dae Dae Grant, who scored 25 points in 21 minutes. The addition of the Miami (Ohio) transfer will be a welcome boost to the attack of a team that finished 6-24 last season.
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Duquesne at Kentucky odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:42 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Duquesne +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000) | Kentucky -2500 (bet $2,500 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Duquesne +19.5 (-112) | Kentucky -19.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 147.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Duquesne at Kentucky picks and predictions
Prediction
Kentucky 82, Duquesne 66
Moneyline
PASS.
There’s no value here, especially considering how Duquesne looked in its opener.
Against the spread
BET DUQUESNE +19.5 (-112).
Sure, it was against Montana, but Grant looks like the real deal.
The Wildcats don’t have an elite defensive backcourt, and with Grant coming off a game in which he was 6-for-6 from deep and 8-for-8 from the field, I expect him to keep being hot.
The Cats could take their foot off the pedal relatively easily as they are still banged up. Starting G CJ Fredrick has a long injury history and Tshiebwe still isn’t at full strength it seems.
Given Grant’s play and how the Dukes looked, they should be able to keep things within 20.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 147.5 (-110).
Both teams topped 90 points in their opener with the Dukes scoring 91 and the Cats 95, and both teams topped this total in those games.
The Cats shot 57% from the line as well which should improve on Friday. Duquesne will have a tougher time with the speed of Kentucky, but it should be able to score in what is bound to be a high-tempo game.
The Cats shot 45.8% from deep, and the addition of Reeves and the return of Fredrick should bode well for their shooting. Tshiebwe’s size should provide easy buckets too.
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