Clemson vs. (7) Duke
Time: 9:30 PM ET, Mar 14, 2014
TV: ESPN
Spread: DUK -10
M/L: DUK -600; CLE +400
Total: 127
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Duke Blue Devils (24-7) have won a record 19 ACC titles and have advanced to the championship game in 12 of the last 16 years, but Duke fell short last year and the year prior, which has Jabari Parker and the Dukies well aware this matchup against Clemson could easily go awry. Parker said “It’s not going to be given to us…we’ve been in a drought so far.”
Parker and the Blue Devils will still be double-digit favorites according to college basketball odds, with Bovada setting the line 10-points in Duke’s favor.
Parker has come through with a big freshman season and is thought to be a top-three draft pick should he declare for the 2014 NBA draft. He scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 93-81 win over then-No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday. Parker is averaging 19.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 30 minutes per contest. The 30 point effort against Duke was his first game over 20 points since the Feb 15 win over Maryland when he scored 23.
Duke also gets big contributions from swingman Rodney Hood, who is also projected to be a lottery pick. Hood is averaging 16.5 points and four rebounds per game while shooting 42.5 percent from behind the arc. Outside of Hood, Duke has a host of contributors with four other Blue Devils averaging at least 6.5 points per game.
Coach K isn’t delving deep into his bench, though, as Duke is employing a seven-man rotation for most games. Quinn Cook, a 6’2″ junior guard, leads the team in assists with 4.5 per game while also averaging 11.6 points per game. He hasn’t made much of a leap since his sophomore season (when he actually saw three minutes more per game), but is a capable leader for Duke.
Clemson won yesterday 69-65 over Georgia Tech in overtime. The Tigers were two-point underdogs for the game but were able to pull the slight upset as K.J. McDaniels scored 18 points (10 of which came from the free throw line) and the Tigers backcourt of Damarcus Harrison and Rod Hall combined for 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
The Tigers have won three of its past four games but lost 72-59 to Duke on Jan 11. Jabari Parker had just 15 points in that game and K.J. McDaniels scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Clemson held Duke to 33 percent shooting and out rebounded them 48-30, but the Tigers had 10 turnovers and were unable to hit a high clip from the free throw line (18-of-30 for 60 percent).
Duke Trends: UNDER 7-2 in last 9 Friday games.
Head-to-head: UNDER 6-2 in last 8 meetings.
