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Duke vs Miami prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Friday.
Duke vs Miami prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Friday, March 11
Date: Friday, March 11
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Duke (27-5), Miami (21-11)
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Duke vs North Carolina prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might win on Saturday
Duke vs North Carolina prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, March 5
Date: Saturday, March 5
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Duke (26-4), North Carolina (22-8)
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Duke vs Pitt prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Tuesday.
Duke vs Pitt prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Tuesday, March 1
Date: Tuesday, March 1
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
How To Watch: ACC Network
Record: Duke (25-4), Pitt (11-18)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Everyone who seems to matter got popped on Saturday with the top six teams in the last AP Poll going down.
Duke beat Syracuse 97-72 on the road.
This isn’t a consistent team lately, and there are just enough concerns to think there could be a problem in a few weeks once the season really starts, but it’s on a six-game winning streak and with 11 wins in the last 12 games.
It starts with an offense that’s moving the ball around insanely well.
26 assists against Syracuse. 25 against Florida State. 17 against Wake Forest. The points are leading to easy baskets, the threes have been dropping, and outside of issues with a pesky Virginia, things are rolling.
And then there’s Pitt, with two losses in a row and six in the last nine, but …
Just how much will Duke really be into this?
It wins the ACC regular season title outright with a win in this and a Notre Dame loss to Florida State, but its focus might be on North Carolina on Saturday, the ACC Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament to come.
At least that’s the hope.
On the flip side of Duke, Pitt isn’t moving the ball around all that well.
It doesn’t have the scoring punch to keep up and it’s not hitting from the outside. However, it’s got a good inside presence and it comes up with lots and lots of rebounds.
This is going to be all about energy and momentum.
Pitt has to own the defensive glass – Duke can dominate when it’s getting the offensive boards – and it has to slow the game down to a dead stop at times.
It was able to beat NC State by being great at the free throw line and dominating the rebounds with a +18 margin.
Hold serve on the boards, hit a few threes to get the crowd in the game, and …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Nah.
Duke might be a bit sluggish at times, but it’ll crank up the defensive intensity when it absolutely has to.
Pitt just doesn’t shoot well enough or move the ball around strong enough to pull this off.
Duke 82, Pitt 65
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Romy
1: Michelle
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Duke vs Syracuse prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.
Duke vs Syracuse prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, February 26
Date: Saturday, February 26
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Duke (24-4), Syracuse (15-13)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
It’s been a rocky ride, and it’s had to take a few punches, but Duke keeps on winning with a five-game run after losing to Virginia and is on a nice streak of ten wins in the last 11 games.
The run started with a strong 79-59 victory over Syracuse.
The Blue Devils might not be winning in consistent ways, but they’ve been rock-solid from the field and good enough from three. Throw in the rebounding to go along with lots and lots of assists, and the offense is the exact right fit to push past what Syracuse does.
The Orange might bring a whole lot of pressure, but Duke came up with 25 assists in the first meeting.
However …
The loss to Duke was on the road. Syracuse is a whole other animal in the dome.
There are a few losses here and there, but ever since dropping the home date Florida State in mid-January, the Orange have own five straight at home averaging well over 80 points per game.
Granted, it hasn’t played anyone like Duke in the run, but the offense has been brilliant from three in the home surroundings, the defense has cranked things up a few notches, and …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
The Syracuse defense isn’t working, and it’s not going to come up with the stop needed in the clutch against the high-powered Duke attack.
The Orange allow teams to do way too much on the move and they struggle when they don’t win the rebounding battle.
It’ll be a battle for the Blue Devils, but when they need points late, they’ll be ultra-focused and come up with the pass and the big play needed to get out alive.
Duke 84, Syracuse 77
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Troy Aikman on Monday Night Football
1: His inability to not say “make a play”
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Duke vs Virginia prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Wednesday.
Duke vs Virginia prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Wednesday, February 23
Date: Wednesday, February 23
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Duke (23-4), Virginia (17-10)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Full focus won’t be an issue after the 69-68 loss to the Cavaliers a few weeks ago.
The Blue Devils didn’t crank it up until it was too late, but it shot relatively well, was great on the free throw line, and the defense was terrific on the outside.
Everything has kicked in since then with four straight wins helped by tons of free throws, a whole lot of dominance on the offensive boards, and with the offense working better than it did against the slow and stodgy Cavaliers.
Basically, it’s statement time to get by the team’s only loss since mid-January. But …
Virginia is usually extra Virginia at home.
It’s not unbeatable in John Paul Jones, but the defense has been a rock from three. The offense isn’t hitting a thing from three lately, but the free throw shooting and rebounds are making up for it.
The Cavaliers are moving the ball around well – as always – with ten or more assists in 14 of the last 15 games. Duke might be rolling, but the defense is giving up a whole ton of extra passes for scores.
There might not be a whole lot of transition points allowed, but just assume Virginia will come up with at least 15 assists.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
The Blue Devils will get bogged down way too much, but they’ll maintain their energy and focus for a full 40 minutes to get back at the Cavaliers.
They’ll be just fine in the half court game, they’ll own the inside, and this time around they’ll get the big stops when needed, especially on the defensive boards.
Duke gave up 11 offensive rebounds on in the first meeting. That’s not happening again.
Duke 71, Virginia 65
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: A shorter baseball season with more games that matter
1: Baseball season during football season
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Duke vs Florida State prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.
Duke vs Florida State prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, February 19
Date: Saturday, February 19
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Duke (22-4), Florida State (14-11)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
The Seminoles got them once.
They pulled off a fun overtime win over the Blue Devils back in mid-January by getting seemingly every offensive rebound and overcoming a whole lot of misses with lots and lots of free throws.
It’s been a struggle to consistently shoot well, but the defense comes up with a ton of takeaways, there are plenty of nice interior playmakers who block a whole lot of shots, and Duke has the ability to go dead cold for stretches.
It has also had a problem at home lately with a loss to Virginia and two-point wins over both Clemson and Wake Forest. But …
Florida State just doesn’t shoot well enough.
It doesn’t score consistently, it’s not always on from three, and for all the good things the team did in the first meeting, there aren’t enough rebounds.
Oh, the Seminoles can hit the offensive boards, but that’s partly because they miss a whole lot of shots.
Duke might not be quite playing as well as it should, but it’s been solid from the field ever since an off day in a win at Notre Dame, and it’s doing a stronger job at getting to the free throw line on a regular basis.
Duke has allowed one team – Clemson – to hit 40% or better from three 17 of the last 18 games, so …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Duke is overdue for a strong performance at home.
It’s been able to hit enough shots to get by, but the defense has been a letdown a bit too often – there are too many lulls.
Florida State might be struggling in a big, big way – losing six in a row before slipping by Clemson – but it’s just not shooting well.
Duke 84, Florida State 69
Line: Duke -15.5, o/u: 142.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
5: Larry David crypto ad
1: Olympic Closing Ceremonies
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Wake Forest vs Duke prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Tuesday.
Wake Forest vs Duke prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Tuesday, February 15
Date: Tuesday, February 15
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Wake Forest (20-6), Duke (21-4)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Wake Forest can’t quite get over the hump.
It’s been hovering around the top 25 with a recent appearance, and there’s not much of an NCAA Tournament concern, but it has too many hiccups. It’s been solid, though, against some of the ACC’s stronger teams.
It got rocked by Duke 76-64 back in mid-January, but that’s partly because it had one of its worst three-point shooting days of the season. Granted, that’s what Duke does defensively, but Wake Forest is far more prolific from three than it showed.
It’s been hitting everything else from the field – it leads the ACC in field goal percentage – and it should move the ball around well enough to get around that Duke D on the perimeter, but …
Again, the Duke defense is just that good.
Wake Forest doesn’t have to hit from three to win, but going inside on the Blue Devils is a problem and it’s been hard for most teams to do much of anything from three.
Duke has allowed teams to hit 40% or more from three just once since Thanksgiving.
Wake Forest doesn’t do enough on the offensive glass, and for all of assists and ball movement there are way too many turnovers – way too many – but …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Again, the shooting.
Duke is incredible from the field, but Wake Forest has the ability to keep the pressure on with a whole lot of points coming in a whole lot of ways. The first performance against Duke was one of the team’s worst scoring days of the year – it’s going to push this into the 70s.
Duke will rise back up at home after losing to Virginia the last time out in Cameron Indoor, but it’s going to be in for a fun fight.
Duke 81, Wake Forest 74
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Aaron Donald
1: Those who pretend to be offended by the Super Bowl halftime show
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Duke vs Boston College prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday
Duke vs Boston College prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, February 12
Date: Saturday, February 12
Game Time: 5:00 ET
Venue: Silvio O Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
How To Watch: ACC Network
Record: Duke (20-4), Boston College (9-13)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Boston College just doesn’t score.
It’s not good from three and it’s the worst team in the ACC overall from the field. Throw in the inability to come up with a whole lot of takeaways for easy points, and this will be a grind for the offense.
Duke had the blip against Virginia when it didn’t apply itself to its work, but it came back roaring with a dominant win over Clemson to get back on track.
As long as the Blue Devils are patient and simply do what it’s capable of – keep the ball moving, work for the easy inside shot, don’t turn the ball over – there won’t be a problem. The defense will take care of the rest.
So what can Boston College do to possibly pull this off?
Take its time.
Duke is too good defensively inside to force a whole lot of plays in the interior, and the transition points shouldn’t be there in bunches, but the Eagles should be able to slow this down a bit and keep the score in range.
Basically, Boston College has to shoot the lights out at home.
It’s 1-12 when it shoots worse than 44% and 8-1 when it shoots that or better. That’s how Virginia pulled it off – it hit 48% from the field, rebounded well enough, and it came up with one or two key stops to …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Nah.
Boston College might have the ability at home to make this a fight for a while, but it’s just not consistent enough from the field and doesn’t have the three point ability to bounce back in the game after Duke goes on a decent run.
The Blue Devils will be sleepy in the first half, and it’ll put this away early in the second with one big burst.
Duke 78, Boston College 65
Line: Duke -14, o/u: 137.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
5: Super Bowl – the actual game
1: Super Bowl – everything else
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Duke vs Clemson prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Thursday.
Duke vs Clemson prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Thursday, February 10
Date: Thursday, February 10
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC
How To Watch: ACC Network
Record: Duke (19-4), Clemson (12-11)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
You don’t think Duke is a wee bit peeved?
It struggled against Clemson a few weeks ago in a 71-69 win, and then came a dominant three-game run including a blowout at North Carolina. And then …
Pffffft. All of the air came out of the balloon as it lost at home to an okay Virginia.
In the first game against the Tigers, the Blue Devils weren’t great, but they were fantastic from three and withstood a big shooting day to get out alive. They also did a great job of not fouling – Clemson only had one free throw attempt.
Expect a wee bit more aggressive Duke team than the one that showed up against Virginia.
So what did Virginia do right?
It was strong on the offensive glass, forced several key turnovers, and was able to control the game just enough with its style.
Clemson has to be far better on the boards to take this.
It’s good on the defensive glass, but it was able to stay with Duke because of 14 offensive rebounds – that was hardly the norm.
The Tigers are way too inconsistent and need to make up for it with second chance points. They basically have to play the way they did the first time around, and be more aggressive and get to the free throw line once in a while.
At least lately, when they get to the line, they’re making their shots.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Don’t read too much into the Virginia loss.
It was a letdown game after North Carolina, Virginia went Virginia with its style, and it was still a one-point defeat.
Clemson will be strong at home to keep this close for about a half, but Duke will wake up, the outside shooting will kick in, and the defense will be air-tight from three after getting bombed on the first time around.
Duke 76, Clemson 65
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Sports with a ball
1: Sports that rely on judges and opinions, unlike college football with its playoff system that … never mind.
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Duke vs Virginia prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Monday.
Duke vs Virginia prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Monday, February 7
Date: Monday, February 7
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
How To Watch: ESPN/ESPN+
Record: Duke (19-3), Virginia (14-9)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
As always, Virginia knows how to slow things down to a dead stop and make you play its game.
As always, the defense is terrific, there’s a good inside presence to hold up against the Duke interior, and the offense doesn’t allow a whole lot of easy plays and transition points by giving the ball away.
It’s absolutely this simple. Virginia is going to keep the game low-scoring. Does it hit its shots or not?
The Cavaliers are 8-1 when making at least 46% of its shots, and 6-8 when it doesn’t. That’s almost always a direct function of assists for this team. When it can make that one extra pass, it makes the most of its possessions, and it wins.
But …
Virginia is just way too inconsistent.
Even when it’s making the threes it’s not always pulling off wins.
Free-throws are a must . The Cavaliers have to get to the line – that’s not a given – and they have to hit 78% or better. They do that, and they’re 6-0. The problem is that Duke doesn’t foul.
Along with all of the other good things the Blue Devils are doing lately, they’re not getting hammered for a ton of fouls.
For this to work, Virginia needs to get to the free throw line at least 15 times. Duke has allowed just three teams to get to the line for more than 15 attempts in just three games.
There’s that, and …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Duke is shooting out of its mind lately.
There were struggles from the outside against Notre Dame, but everything seemed to go down inside and out in the blowout over North Carolina.
Virginia might have the D, but in a game with limited possessions and quality overcoming quantity, the Blue Devils will just shoot better.
Duke 73, Virginia 62
Line: Duke -12, o/u: 129
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
5: Most of the Winter Olympic sports
1: Dying, like most people would do if they tried any of the Winter Olympic sports
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