Temple Owls vs. No. 2 Duke Blue Devils
Saturday, 12/8/12, 3:15 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Duke -9.5
Current Betting Line: Duke -8
Opening Total: 142
Current Total: 145
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Temple is set for a battle of unbeatens at the IZOD Center Saturday afternoon, as it comes off a 76-61 victory over Villanova as four-point road favorites, while going UNDER the posted total of 139.5. The Owls will be looking to defeat a top 10 team for the fifth straight season, which includes a 78-73 win over Duke as 7.5-point home underdogs last year. Temple is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games versus ACC foes, which can’t be ignored when making your NCAA basketball picks this weekend.
The Owls have three probable starters that are scoring in double figures, with senior guard Scootie Randall leading the way in averaging 16.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Temple is 10-18 all-time in this series, which had been very one-sided recently until last year’s victory that snapped a nine-game losing streak. Senior guard Khalif Wyatt is scoring 15.2 points per game, but that’s below the 17.1 points he averaged a season ago.
Duke is 8-0 on the year and looking to open the season with nine straight wins for the 15th time under coach Mike Krzyzewski, as the program is 40-4 on a neutral floor over the last five seasons, including 4-0 this year. The Blue Devils will be playing only one game in a 17-day span, which could be important to consider when looking over the college basketball odds page. “We’ll see how we handle this break from competition,” stated Coach K this week in practice. Duke is 6-1 ATS versus Atlantic 10 foes in its last seven opportunities.
The Blue Devils are led by senior Mason Plumlee, who has scored 16 or more points in all eight games this season, as he ranked second in the ACC in averaging 19.6 points per game. He is attempting to become just the third player in ACC history to averaging 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Duke’s starting lineup has accounted for 88.4 percent of the team’s total scoring this year, with the group compiling 34 of the team’s 36 double-figure scoring games.
Sports bettors will likely back the Blue Devils due to their 4-0 ATS mark on a neutral floor, while the Owls are 2-6 ATS in their last eight opportunities in the same situation.
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