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Duke Blue Devils @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Current Records: Duke 21-5, Wake Forest 17-9

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Wake Forest is 2-8 against the Blue Devils since March of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Both teams will face off in an ACC battle at 2:00 p.m. ET at LJVM Coliseum. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

After a disappointing 47 points in their last contest, Wake Forest made sure to put some points up on the board against the Panthers on Tuesday. The Demon Deacons blew past the Panthers, posting a 91-58 win at home. That looming 91-58 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Wake Forest yet this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Wake Forest to victory, but perhaps none more so than Hunter Sallis, who scored 17 points along with five assists. Sallis didn't help Wake Forest's cause all that much against the Cavaliers on Saturday but the same can't be said for this contest. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Hildreth, who scored 13 points along with five assists and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Duke waltzed into their match on Wednesday with four straight wins but they left with five. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 84-55 win over the Hurricanes. Winning is a bit easier when you make seven more threes than your opponent, as Duke did.

Duke's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kyle Filipowski, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. Filipowski didn't help Duke's cause all that much against the Seminoles on Saturday but the same can't be said for this contest. Another player making a difference was Mark Mitchell, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds.

The Demon Deacons pushed their record up to 17-9 with that win, which was their 14th straight at home. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 20.1 points. As for the Blue Devils, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 16 of their last 18 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 21-5 record this season.

Saturday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Wake Forest just can't miss this season, having made 47.6% of their shots per game. However, it's not like Duke struggles in that department as they've made 48.1% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

While fans of Duke and the Demon Deacons were happy after their last outing, their bettors probably weren't as neither team covered. Looking ahead, Wake Forest is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Duke might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last five times they've played.

Odds

Wake Forest is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Duke, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 150.5 points.

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Series History

Duke has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Wake Forest.

  • Feb 12, 2024 - Duke 77 vs. Wake Forest 69
  • Jan 31, 2023 - Duke 75 vs. Wake Forest 73
  • Dec 20, 2022 - Wake Forest 81 vs. Duke 70
  • Feb 15, 2022 - Duke 76 vs. Wake Forest 74
  • Jan 12, 2022 - Duke 76 vs. Wake Forest 64
  • Feb 17, 2021 - Duke 84 vs. Wake Forest 60
  • Jan 09, 2021 - Duke 79 vs. Wake Forest 68
  • Feb 25, 2020 - Wake Forest 113 vs. Duke 101
  • Jan 11, 2020 - Duke 90 vs. Wake Forest 59
  • Mar 05, 2019 - Duke 71 vs. Wake Forest 70