The No. 21 Duke Blue Devils will look to continue their mastery of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons when they meet in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday. The Blue Devils (4-2), who are tied for second in the ACC with Virginia at 2-0, have won 21 straight home games against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons (3-2), 12th in the ACC at 0-2, have lost two in a row. Wake Forest's last win at Durham, N.C., was an 81-69 triumph on Jan. 11, 1997.
Tip-off from Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for noon ET. Duke leads the all-time series 174-79, including a 78-18 edge in games at Durham. The Blue Devils are 13-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. Wake Forest odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 144. Before making any Wake Forest vs. Duke picks, check out the college basketball predictions 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 $2,400 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. Wake Forest. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting trends for Wake Forest vs. Duke:
- Duke vs. Wake Forest spread: Duke -13
- Duke vs. Wake Forest over-under: 144 points
- Duke vs. Wake Forest money line: Duke -1100; Wake Forest +700
- WF: Is 14th in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage at 58.5
- DU: Has won 78.8 percent of its games under coach Mike Krzyzewski
Why Duke can cover
Despite having five games postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Blue Devils are off to a fast start in conference play. A big reason for that is the play of sophomore forward Matthew Hurt, who is averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks. He is hitting 51.2 percent of his field goals, including 40 percent from 3-point range. Hurt has scored 17 or more points in five consecutive games this season after having four such games last season.
Freshman guard DJ Steward has strung together three consecutive impressive games and is averaging 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He is hitting 42 percent of his field goals, including 37 percent from 3-point range, and 83 percent of his free throws. In the last game against Boston College, Steward scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He has hit 7 of 16 from 3-point range over the last three games.
Why Wake Forest can cover
Like Duke, the Demon Deacons have also had five games postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19, but have also played well at times and are averaging 73.4 points per game. Junior forward Isaiah Mucius is one of four Wake Forest players scoring in double figures, averaging 11.8 points per game. He also averages a team-high 5.2 rebounds as well as one steal per game. He has scored in double figures in each of the last three games, including a 21-point performance at Georgia Tech on Jan. 3.
Also powering the Demon Deacons is senior transfer guard Jonah Antonio, who has scored in double figures in three of four games, including 14 points at Virginia on Wednesday and against Longwood on Nov. 27. He is averaging 10 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Last season, he played in 25 games at UNLV, averaging 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 22 minutes per game. He shot 31.5 percent from beyond the arc.
How to make Duke vs. Wake Forest picks
The model is leaning over on the total, with the simulations showing the teams will combine for 150 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 Wake Forest vs. Duke? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
