ACC Basketball on Wednesday and we will see the Duke Blue Devils travel south to take on the Miami Hurricanes. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have Duke favored by 2 points while the total sits at 130.5. Check out Sportsbook Spy to see who the Public is taking on all of today's games.
Free Analysis: Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils have ascended the top-25 for the second time this season and sport a 16-1 overall record coming into this contest. The team distanced itself from that lone loss, an 84-76 setback at NC State, with last week's 73-57 drubbing of Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils were idle this past weekend and watched teams in front of them in the rankings falter, giving Duke another shot at the top spot. Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry came up with big efforts against Georgia Tech, combining for 40 points in Kelly’s absence. Plumlee averages 17.4 points and 11.1 rebounds, while Curry (16.9 points) continues to put up good numbers despite nagging injuries. The Blue Devils will have to get strong contributions from others with six of the next nine games on the road. Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon, who was 9-of-40 from the field in the previous five games, made three 3-pointers and scored 15 against Georgia Tech. Fellow freshman Amile Jefferson has also stepped up, playing a career-high 28 minutes against Tech. Duke has been much more efficient in terms of shooting the basketball on the year, as the team converts 47.3 percent from the floor, including a hefty 42.2 percent from 3-point range.
Jim Larranaga's Hurricanes would like nothing better than to send the Blue Devils tumbling again. Miami is the only unbeaten left in ACC play at 4-0. The team has won five consecutive games overall coming into this contest and moved to 13-3 with a thrilling 60-59 win at Boston College last time out. The Hurricanes have allowed an average of 53.5 points and 36.7 percent shooting from the field in their first four ACC games, holding nine of their last 10 opponents under 60 points. Miami has won with balance on the offensive end. Durand Scott leads five players scoring in double figures, including Johnson before his injury, at 13.8. Kenny Kadji has four double-doubles and averages 12.6 points, while Shane Larkin (12.2) is close behind. Larkin is shooting 45 percent from the field after converting 36 percent last season. Larkin and Trey McKinney Jones each make more than 40 percent of their 3-pointers. Like Duke, Miami is also functioning at less than full strength, as their big man, center Reggie Johnson has been sidelined with a broken thumb for more than a month. Johnson is averaging a double-double in his limited playing time (12.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and leaves a huge hole in the middle of the lineup for Miami.
Free Pick: Would have been nice to get this a bit earlier at 128, but I still expect 135+ points in this one. Miami's ACC games have averaged just 114.5 ppg, but a closer look shows that 3 of those games were vs BC, Maryland and Georgia Tech, which are 3 of the slowest paced teams in the conference. They did have a game vs Carolina, in which just 127 points were scored, but that is an inconsistent Carolina squad and not the same as in years past. Duke is one of the better teams in the ACC and their offense has been solid all year, averaging 78.7 ppg overall and 76 ppg on the road, while not being held to less than 67 points all year. Duke's defense has been solid this year, but mostly at home as they allowed 84 points in their lone true road game and have allowed 67 ppg in ALL games away from home this year. Miami should also hit the 65 point mark here, as they come in averaging 73 ppg on their home floor. Miami games have gone 0-10-1 to the under this year, but I feel that ends tonight as his game hits at least 135 points.
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College Basketball Free Picks: Duke at Miami Betting
What college basketball bettors need to know about Duke Blue Devils at Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday (1/23/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik, with Bryan Leonard.