The No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 9 Duke Blue Devils open the regular season in a neutral-floor battle Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Kentucky vs. Duke odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari rebuilt his roster after an un-Wildcats-like 9-16 season in 2020-21. The frontcourt is bolstered by transfers Oscar Tshiebwe and Kellan Grady, while the backcourt gets a boost with transfer Sahvir Wheeler coming in from SEC rival Georgia.
Duke will begin its final season under the leadership of Mike Krzyzewski, and it will be the end of an era. Big men Wendell Moore and Mark Williams will be joined by 5-star recruit Paolo Banchero to try and send Coach K out on a high note.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Kentucky vs. Duke odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Kentucky -103 (bet $103 to win $100) | Duke -117 (bet $117 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Kentucky +1.5 (-120) | Duke -1.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 148.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Kentucky vs. Duke odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Duke 78, Kentucky 73
Money line
Duke (-117) is the pick to win this game, but laying the point-and-a-half just makes sense for a better value.
AVOID, and look to the spread.
Against the spread
Why lay -117 on the ML when you can get a better number on DUKE -1.5 (-117)? This should be a much better battle than the Champions Classic undercard game, Kansas-Michigan State. The nightcap game is going to be close, and we’re going to get to know some new faces. Duke was a good team in 2020-21, while Kentucky has a lot more work to do to prove its ranking. Banchero is going to burst onto the scene and introduce himself to the nation, and to bettors.
Over/Under
OVER 148.5 (-110), but it’s only worth a small-unit play. The last time these blue bloods met was Nov. 6, 2018, and Duke routed Kentucky 118-84. We won’t see quite that many points, but with the likes of Banchero, Moore and Williams, the Blue Devils should get off to a hot start.
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