(18) Duke at Miami
Time: 7:30 PM ET, Jan 22, 2014
TV: ESPN 2
Spread: DUK -4
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Duke Blue Devils are 14-4 on the season and 3-2 on ACC play, but will face a tough test in conference opponent Miami. The Hurricanes are 10-7 and 2-3 in ACC play and will be just 4-point underdogs to Jabari Parker and the Blue Devils.
Duke is ranked 18th and has won its past two contests. Duke tore up NC State on Saturday as Parker went 7-of-14 from the floor for 23 point as the Blue Devils won 95-60. Parker had been having his struggles. He averaged just 10.8 points per game over the five previous contests while hitting just 32 percent from the floor. Coach Mike Krzyewski has called for Parker to use his size more and rely less on his perimeter skills.
That course of actions would be very similar to what the freshman Carmelo Anthony did at Syracuse, and Parker is not a dissimilar player as a forward with size, strength and agility. The matchup problems can only be perpetuated if Parker relies on those attributes, though, and launching up fade aways isn’t exactly doing that. Parker hit just 5-of-21 from three-point range over that five-game stretch, and teams aren’t pressed into respecting his shot right now.
Rodney Hood has been lights out for Duke, though. He’s leading the ACC in field goal percentage (51.7) and three-point marksmanship (45.7 percent).
Miami coach Jim Larranga said “Duke is a major challenge for us,” and went on to cite the hype surrounding Parker and the Duke prospects. Miami, though, is a tough opponent. It knocked off ACC opponent Georgia Tech on Saturday and did a stellar job defensively, limiting the Yellow Jackets to just 42 points. The Hurricanes rank 9th in the nation in defense, allowing just 58.5 points per game. It should be interesting to see how it does with Duke, who leads the ACC in scoring at 82.6 points per game.
Duke Trends: UNDER 13-4 in last 17 Wed games.
Miami Trends: UNDER 10-1 in last 11 overall; 6-2 ATS in last 8 vs ACC.
Head-to-head: OVER 12-1 in last 13 meetings; Duke 1-7-2 ATS in last 10 meetings.
