The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-2 overall, 0-2 ACC) visit the No. 24 Duke Blue Devils (4-2, 2-0) in a Saturday matinee (noon ET) at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. Below, we analyze the Wake Forest-Duke college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Wake Forest at Duke: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 5:05 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Wake Forest +700 (bet $100 to win $700) | Duke -1100 (bet $1,100 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Wake Forest +13.5 (-110) | Duke -13.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 143.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Wake Forest at Duke: Three things to know
- The Deacons and Devils are thus far two of the more COVID-impacted programs in big-time college hoops. Wake Forest and Duke head into Saturday’s tilt at Cameron Indoor Stadium having played a combined 11 games in a season that started some six weeks ago. Wake Forest didn’t play between Nov. 27-Dec. 31; Duke has played just one game since Dec. 16.
- Duke’s one recent game was an uneven effort in a shaky near-loss to Boston College on Wednesday. The Blue Devils never led by more than four points and trailed for much of a contest they eventually won, 83-82. In that win, a bright spot for Duke was the play of F Wendell Moore, Jr., who tied a career-high with 25 points. The mark he tied came against these Demon Deacons — Moore tallied 25 at Wake Forest on Feb. 25.
- In its one-point home win against BC, Duke was undone by the Eagles going 9-of-16 from distance. Albeit in a spread out, start-and-stop schedule, the Devils have struggled with their perimeter defense in several games thus far. Three-hundred-and-five teams have held opponents to a lower 3-point mark than Duke’s 38.4% figure.
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Wake Forest at Duke: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Duke 79, Wake Forest 70
Money line (ML)
PASS on a juice-filled money line, but consider Wake Forest at any figure approaching +700. The Deacons are a worthy play to stay within 10 in this game. At +700 or so, the price is right on essentially wagering the Over in chaos.
Against the spread (ATS)
Wake Forest is 5-1 ATS in its last six games against teams playing .600 basketball or better. Duke is 0-5 ATS in its last five home games.
In a contest that figures to have some tempo, Wake Forest should be able to capitalize with some transition success against a loose-handled Devils squad, one that has underwhelmed on defense.
TAKE the DEMON DEACONS +13.5 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
Make a play on a Wake bounce from a plodding contest at Virginia which followed an iffy shooting night at Georgia Tech. In a buy-low situation, with two unproven defenses, in what figures as an up-tempo back-and-forth with a visiting team that will frequently launch from distance … BACK THE OVER 143.5 (-115).
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