The Duke Blue Devils land in their first revenge spot of the 2012-13 season Thursday night, as they host the NC State Wolfpack at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Where can bettors look to find the best value for their NCAA Basketball picks tonight.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting line for this
Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball affair that will tip off at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN’s
Full Court.
Awfully close
NC State’s four conference losses have come by a combined
total of seven points, with each being decided in the last 10 seconds of the
game. The Wolfpack will try to snap a
two-game losing streak, which includes a disappointing 79-78 setback to the
Miami Hurricanes as a pick’ em last Saturday, while going OVER the total for
the third time in four contests.
Gaining confidence
Duke has rattled off three wins in a row, including a
convincing 79-60 victory over the Florida State Seminoles as six-point road
favorites last time out, while going UNDER the total for the first time in six
contests. The Blue Devils are now in
position to win 20 games for the 17th consecutive season and the 29th time
under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Revenge
College basketball handicappers always need to be aware
of the revenge factor when looking over the NCAA Basketball betting odds, which is certainly
in play in this matchup, with the Blue Devils dropping an 84-76 decision to the
Wolfpack as one-point road favorites on Jan. 12.
Duke is 3-0 straight up and against the spread when
revenging a same season loss versus an opponent the last two-plus years, with
the OVER cashing in two of those opportunities.
All about the starters
There’s no doubt that this game is going to be decided by
the players that are on the floor for the opening tip, as the Blue Devils
receive 86.6 percent of their scoring from their starting unit, while the
Wolfpack have received 94 percent of their production from their top six
players.
Fatigue could definitely be a factor in the final 20
minutes, but it’s important to point out that these two teams combined to score
80 points in the final 20 minutes in the first meeting (70 in first half).
Prediction
I’m going to recommend that readers add Duke to their College Basketball picks tonight. We like laying the points with
the Blue Devils in this spot, as the Wolfpack will likely be playing without
their floor leader in one of the tougher environments in college
basketball.
NC State’s point guard Lorenzo Brown is listed as
doubtful with an ankle injury, which is a major advantage for a Duke squad that
owns a 1:42 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Duke Blue Devils -10.5 at 5Dimes