Duke vs. Syracuse Betting Line at Orangemen -2.5
Carrie Stroup here with your Duke vs. Syracuse line that has the Orangemen as a -2.5 favorite. Be sure to claim your FREE $100 BET at Sportsbook.com here Hundreds of Super Bowl props and LIVE IN-PLAY BETTING.
DUKE BLUE DEVILS (17-4) at SYRACUSE ORANGE (20-0)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Syracuse -2.5
Anticipating a record crowd at the Carrier Dome, No. 2 Syracuse will host No. 17 Duke on Saturday night in a matchup between two legendary coaches squaring off for the first time ever as conference foes.
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim have coached against each other only twice, the last coming in the 1998 NCAA Tournament when the Blue Devils prevailed 80-67. This season, the Orange have yet to lose despite some close calls, and have now covered in six consecutive games. They are 12-4 ATS overall (6-1 ATS in ACC) with a 5-3 ATS record at home. The Blue Devils initially struggled in conference play with bad road losses to Notre Dame and Clemson, but since then they have rattled off five consecutive wins. They have also covered in four straight, including their impressive road win on Monday against No. 18 Pittsburgh. Duke is 13-8 ATS overall (5-3 ATS in ACC) and 2-2 ATS on the road this season.
The Blue Devils rank 20th in the nation with 81.5 PPG, hitting 47.2% FG (51st in Div. I) and 41.4% of their threes (5th in nation). Though rebounding has been a problem at times this season with 35.4 RPG (167th in Div. I), they have outrebounded each of their past four opponents by an average of 11.3 RPG. Leading that effort has been freshman PF Jabari Parker (18.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG) who has three consecutive double-doubles, averaging 13.3 RPG in that span. Hitting more than one three-pointer per game, Parker has the size and skill to score from anywhere on the floor, much like SF Rodney Hood (17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG), who is nailing 45% of his threes this year. PG Quinn Cook (12.4 PPG, 5.5 APG) rounds out the team’s double-digit scorers. He’s joined by some lethal shooters on the perimeter in SGs Andre Dawkins (9.4 PPG) and Rasheed Sulaimon (8.3 PPG), who are both hitting more than 46% of their treys on the season. Dawkins was on fire in Monday's win against Pittsburgh, hitting 6-of-7 from long distance en route to 20 points. The other key factor is sophomore C Amile Jefferson (6.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG), who is a rebounding machine in his 20.1 MPG.
The Syracuse offense doesn’t put up gaudy numbers with 71.4 PPG (189th in Div. I) on 45.5% FG (116th in Div. I). But Boeheim makes his name for his dangerous 2-3 zone on defense that is holding teams to 57.8 PPG, the sixth fewest in the nation. A lot of that, however, is due to the team’s slow pace of play, as opponents are hitting 41% of their shots against the Orange, a figure that is good but not elite. They key for Syracuse on both sides of the ball is freshman PG Tyler Ennis (12.3 PPG, 5.4 APG) who leads the team in passing and defense with 2.5 SPG. Senior PF C.J. Fair (16.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG) is the team’s top scorer, though he’s making only 28.1% of his three-point attempts this season hoisting up 2.9 per game. SF Jerami Grant (12.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG) joins him down low as the team’s top rebounder, posting a double-double in Wednesday’s win against Wake Forest. SG Trevor Cooney (13.2 PPG) is the team’s most aggressive shooter, making 40.1% of his three-pointers and putting up 7.1 per game, hitting 2.9 of them.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
