ACC Rivals Meet in Durham: Boston College at Duke

Boston College Eagles at Duke Blue Devils, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
Thursday, January 27, 2011, 8:00 pm Eastern, TV: Sunshine Sports, ESPN Full Court
Opening Line: Duke -16 1/2
Current Line: Duke -16 1/2
Opening Total: 149 1/2
Current Total: 150
Money Line: Duke -2000 / Boston College +1200

Nolan Smith and Duke take on Boston College in Durham in a crucial ACC clash. Duke is a 16 1/2 point favorite.

Duke is 18-1 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. They are ranked #3 in the country. The Blue Devils take on Boston College in Durham tonight. The Eagles are 14-6 overall and 4-2 in the ACC. Duke has won 30 straight games at home and 52 in a row against unranked opponents. Boston College has losses to Yale, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Harvard, Miami (FL), and Florida St. They have wins over Texas A&M, California, Indiana, UMass, Providence, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, North Carolina St, and Virginia. The Eagles lost at Florida St on Saturday 67-51. Duke lost at Florida St, but has won 3 in row since then. Duke has wins over Princeton, Marquette, Kansas St, Oregon, Michigan St, Butler, Miami (FL), Maryland, Virginia, NC State, and Wake Forest. Duke beat Wake Forest 83-59 on the road Saturday. Duke has won 12 of the 14 games in the series against BC, including all 5 at Cameron. Duke has won 3 of the last four meetings, but Boston College has covered the spread in 3 of the last 4. Three out of the last four have gone under the total.

Boston College has no significant injuries right now. Junior guard Reggie Jackson is averaging 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks a game. He leads the team in scoring, assists, steals, and blocks. He is also shooting 45.8% from 3 point range. He injured his ankle against Miami on January 15, but hasn’t missed a game since. Forward Joe Trapani averages 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds to lead the team, 1.7 assists and 0.7 blocks a game to tie for the team lead. Forward Corey Raji averages 12.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists a game. Guard Biko Paris averages 10.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a game. Eight Boston College players shoot at least 32% from 3-point range. Boston College is outscoring opponents 74-69 on the year. They shoot 47.5% from the field and 38.8% from 3-point range. BC opponents shoot 44.2% from the field. The Eagles make 72.4% of their free throws. The Eagles average 31.5 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of -1.2. BC averages 15.5 assists and 10.5 turnovers a game. The Eagles force 11 turnovers a game on defense. BC averages 5 steals and 2.7 blocks a game.

Duke has been playing without guard Kyrie Irving since early December who is out with a foot injury. Duke has three other players besides Irving who are averaging double digit scoring. Senior guard Nolan Smith is averaging 20.1 points to lead the team, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists to lead the team, and 1.5 steals a game to also lead the team. Forward Kyle Singler is averaging 18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals a game. Guard Andre Dawkins, averages 10.9 points and 2.4 rebounds a game. Mason Plumlee leads the team in rebounds with 8.6 a game and blocks with 1.8 a game. Duke is outscoring opponents 86-64 on the season. The Blue Devils are shooting 49% from the field and 40.6% from 3-point range. Duke opponents are shooting 39.3% from the field. Duke makes 75.9% of their free throws. The Blue Devils average 36.7 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of +3.8. The Devils average 15.1 assists and 11.8 turnovers a game. Duke forces 16.2 turnovers a game on defense. Duke averages 4.3 blocks and 8.3 steals a game.

Duke is clearly the superior team here, but Boston College usually covers against Duke. Since 1997 Duke is 10-1 straight up against BC, but the Eagles are 7-3-1 ATS in those games. This is because Duke is usually such a heavy favorite against Boston College that Boston College is able to stay within the number. Boston College is somewhat inconsistent and loses to teams they should beat like Harvard, Yale, and Rhode Island. They will have to play a perfect game against Duke if they want to pull off the upset or even keep it close.