The 9th-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-13) face the No. 1-seed Miami Hurricanes (24-6) Thursday in an ACC Tournament quarterfinal at Greensboro Coliseum. Tip will be at noon. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Wake Forest vs. Miami odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Wake Forest has lost 4 of its last 5, and that stretch includes a 96-87 setback against the Hurricanes Feb. 18 as 5.5-point underdogs. Often a defensive struggler this season, Wake Forest has allowed 77.4 points per game over tho last 5 games. Overall, the Deacons went 10-10 in ACC play.
Miami went 15-5 in league play, earning a share of the ACC regular-season title with Virginia Tech. The 13th-ranked-nationally Hurricanes are 8-1 over their last 9 games.
Rankings courtesy the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Wake Forest vs. Miami odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:16 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Wake Forest +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Miami -270 (bet $270 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Wake Forest +6.5 (-110) | Miami -6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 157.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Wake Forest vs. Miami picks and predictions
Prediction
Miami 78, Wake Forest 75
Moneyline
Wake figures to be dangerous in this spot. But unless a +225 tag becomes available, bettors are better off on the below plays. AVOID.
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Against the spread
UM covered a 6-point spread with its series win last month, but in that game Wake was within 3 or leading for much of the 1st half and within 3 and 5 points at several points in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
The Deacons have fallen off with their 3-point shooting of late, but they hit 15 triples in that 1st meeting. Wake Forest is a live underdog in this Thursday early-afternoon ACC battle.
TAKE WAKE FOREST +6.5 (-110).
Over/Under
These are the 2 of the fastest teams in the ACC, and Wake is better on offense than defense. The Deacons and Hurricanes cruised past the 160.5-point total in the Feb. 18 game.
But look for this neutral-site game to come up short this time. Three-pointers figure as a significant component in the overall scoring, but free throws, 2nd-chance points, and buckets off turnovers don’t figure to get out of control.
BACK THE UNDER 157.5 (-115).
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