After a dominant win against Notre Dame earlier this week, No. 9 Duke returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Boston College. The Blue Zone is here with some key prop bets:
Duke (-13.5) vs. Boston College
The Blue Devils will look to continue their home stretch with a win against Boston College after cruising to a dominant 71-53 victory against Notre Dame Wednesday. The Eagles, on the other hand, look to right the ship after a narrow 63-62 defeat Tuesday on their home court by Florida State. Duke hopes to ride its offense after a confident performance in Cameron Indoor earlier this week , and will try to put this game out of reach quickly by looking to strike early and often. However, if recent shooting woes from behind the arc continue — the Blue Devils were 22.2% from three last game — Duke could find itself in a much closer contest than it might expect. Boston College has to capitalize on mistakes and turnovers to help bolster its shaky defense and to spur some of its offense, but I think the Eagles are outmatched in this contest. However, they are a team that plays with a good amount of heart and resilience, as shown in their last contest after coming back from being down 19-4 early in the first half. Expect the Blue Devils to come out on top, but Boston College will not let it be a cake walk.
Pick: Boston College +13.5
Over/Under 150.5 total points
Both teams enter the contest with a greater focus on their offensive efficiency than their defensive prowess and I expect that to be reflected in the box score. The teams average more than 75 points per game, and the Eagles give up nearly 73 points per game on the other side. While Duke’s defense is significantly better than its opposition, look for Boston College star center Quinten Post to try to draw Kyle Filipowski out the paint and open lanes for his teammates. The teams are evenly matched in tempo, but both can score efficiently and consistently. While the main battle will be on the interior between Filipowski and Post, expect both backcourt pairings to let it fly from deep as both teams have shown that they can and will use their shooting as a reliable weapon. I expect the Blue Devils to come out of the gate hot, but also expect the Eagles to claw back into the game with impressive perimeter shooting and interior play from Post.
Pick: Over 150.5 total points
Jared McCain over/under 14.5 points
The big storyline of the game should be in the post, as star centers Filipowski and Post will battle it out, but expect the biggest difference between the two teams to come from the guard play. Jeremy Roach and Jared McCain will have the most favorable matchups of the night, and I expect them both to capitalize on this and for McCain to excell from behind the arc. The freshman has already been incredibly efficient this year for the Blue Devils — shooting 40% from three — and I expect him to continue his high level of play. While Boston College does have some decent defenders in its backcourt, overall the Eagles’ defense is suspect and should be easily exploited. Expect a big night for everyone on offense, but keep an eye especially on No. 0 in blue.
Pick: Over 14.5 points
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