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The Pittsburgh Panthers will look to stay hot when they take on the Duke Blue Devils in a key Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Tuesday. The Panthers (7-2, 3-1) have won two in a row, but have had four of their past six games postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh tied for 13th in the ACC with North Carolina and Wake Forest at 6-14 and was 16-17 overall in 2019-20. Duke (5-3), meanwhile, tied for second in the conference with Virginia and Louisville at 15-5 and was 25-6 overall a year ago.

The game from Petersen Center in Pittsburgh is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. Duke triumphed in the last meeting between the schools, 79-67, at Durham, N.C., on Jan. 28, 2020. The Blue Devils are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. Pittsburgh odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 144. Before making any Pittsburgh vs. Duke picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Duke vs. Pitt. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Pitt vs. Duke:

  • Duke vs. Pittsburgh spread: Duke -4.5
  • Duke vs. Pittsburgh over-under: 144 points
  • Duke vs. Pittsburgh money line: Duke -190; Pittsburgh +160
  • DUKE: Has won 313 league games and eight regular-season ACC championships since 1997.
  • PITT: Ranks second in the ACC and fifth nationally in rebounds per game at 43.2

Why Duke can cover 

The Blue Devils have a young but potent roster, including freshman guard Jeremy Roach, who averages 11.1 points per game. Roach led Duke in its narrow road loss at No. 20 Virginia Tech, scoring a career-high 22 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He was also 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Roach is averaging 14.6 points over the Blue Devils' last five games, averaging 33.6 minutes over that span.

Also powering the offense is freshman forward Jalen Johnson, who is averaging 9.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. He is easing his way back from a foot injury. He played four minutes at Virginia Tech after missing three games. Johnson started his collegiate career with a 19-point, 19-rebound performance in the season opener against Coppin State on Nov. 28. He also scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds against eighth-ranked Michigan State on Dec. 1.

Why Pittsburgh can cover

The Panthers are looking to match their best ACC start since joining the conference. Pittsburgh started league play at 4-1 in both the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons. Leading the offense is sophomore Justin Champagnie, who is averaging 18.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and one steal per game. He has posted four double-doubles, including a 24-point, 21-rebound effort against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 12 and a 20-point, 20-rebound performance at Northwestern on Dec. 9.

Also helping lead the potent Panther attack is junior guard Au'diese Toney, who is averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He has started eight games and has scored in double figures seven times. He posted a double-double at Syracuse on Jan. 6 when he scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. For the season, he is hitting 50.6 percent of his field goals, including 37.9 percent of his 3-pointers.

How to make Duke vs. Pittsburgh picks

The model is leaning under on the total, with the simulations projecting 143 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Pittsburgh vs. Duke? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.