Wake Forest Demon Deacons at No. 4 Duke Blue Devils
Thursday, 1/19/12, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Duke -22.5
Current Betting Line: Duke -22.5
Opening Total: 147.5
Current Total: 147.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Wake Forest will face its second Tobacco Road rival in as many games and will look to snap a two-game losing streak Thursday night inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Demon Deacons are coming off their worst defeat in more than four years, dropping a 76-40 contest to the North Carolina State Wolfpack as 4.5-point home underdogs. “Am I worried about it? No, I’m not worried about it,” commented Demon Deacons head coach Jeff Bzdelik. In the team’s most recent trip to tonight’s venue, it dropped a 90-70 decision on Jan. 17, 2010. Wake Forest is 4-7 ATS as a road underdog of 12.5 or more points the last two-plus years.
The Demon Deacons haven’t faced a ranked opponent this year, but have dropped their last three such contests by an average of 22.7 points per game. Wake Forest has two players that are in the top three in the ACC in scoring, with C.J. Harris and Travis McKie averaging 17.3 and 17.1 points per game respectively. The two have combined for 566 points this season, which is almost 50 percent of the team’s total points this year.
Duke is one of two teams in Division I college basketball that ranks in the top five of the RPI, strength of schedule, AP and coaches poll. The Blue Devils are coming off three straight wins that were by a combined 17 points versus conference opponents, while failing to cover three of the last four games. “We always get everybody’s best shot,” commented Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “For 25 years we’ve gotten everybody’s best shot so we have to have guys that play like they want to win.” Duke’s last 13 wins in this particular series have been by 10 or more points.
The Blue Devils have won 63 consecutive home games against unranked opponents, with the last defeat coming on Feb. 4, 2007. Duke ranks in the top 15 nationally in scoring 80.3 points per game, while sitting 12th in shooting 49.6 percent from the field. Freshman guard Austin Rivers is the team’s leading scorer, pouring in 13.8 points per game. He’s the only first-year player in the conference averaging in double figures. Offensively, the team is hitting 52.8 percent of its shots inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Bettors will likely back the Blue Devils due to their 11-0 ATS mark at home in this series, while the Demon Deacons are 6-20 ATS on Thursdays.
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