The Blue Devils return home to play Delaware Friday at 7 p.m. Ahead of the contest, the Blue Zone provides you with our can't-miss prop bets:
Duke (-23.5) vs. Delaware
Looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to defending national champion Kansas, the Blue Devils will return to the court bringing a new fire. Like Duke, Delaware enters this matchup coming off a loss; it fell 75-71 to Air Force last Friday. Redshirt junior guard Jameer Nelson Jr. leads the Blue Hen offense, averaging 18 points through two contests. Besides Nelson, redshirt sophomore forward Jyáre Davis can also provide numbers on the Blue Hens' side, as he currently averages 17.5 points per game. For Delaware to have a chance at keeping up with the Blue Devils’ offense, these two will need to have big nights of their own.
Duke has covered the spread in both of its home games this year, blowing out an up-and-coming Jacksonville squad and a USC Upstate team that lost by 11 to Clemson Tuesday. It’s hard to imagine Delaware’s offense keeping up with Duke in this one, as in just one run the Blue Devils can easily stretch their lead such as they did against their other opponents at home. Duke has too many weapons for Delaware, so look out for it to cover the 23.5-point spread with ease.
Pick: Duke -23.5
Over/Under 142.5
Although Delaware is averaging an impressive 74.5 points in its first two games, Duke’s defense has been dominant all year long. Albeit a different atmosphere, Duke held Kansas to 69 points in its last game, and also held Jacksonville and USC Upstate to a combined 82, so I can’t imagine Delaware putting enough pressure on the Blue Devils to get a significant scoring output. The best-case scenario is that the Blue Hens score within the range of 50 to 60 points, and Duke has its highest-scoring game yet to cash the over. But just one period of stagnant offense could be the difference to limit the total score.
Pick: Under 142.5
Jacob Grandison over/under 7.5 points
In his ten minutes of playing time, Jacob Grandison did not touch the scoring sheet and managed to secure only one rebound. However, the graduate student guard totaled 12 points with ease against USC Upstate. In a game that will feature Duke playing deeper through the bench, look for Grandison to get more consistent minutes and offensive touches. Just two treys and two free throws will be enough for this sharp-shooter to cash the over.
Pick: Over 7.5
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