Duke Blue Devils at Miami Hurricanes
In jeopardy of missing the March Madness tournament, for the first time since 1995, Duke visits Miami for an ACC battle on Monday. Tipoff for the Blue Devils vs. Hurricanes contest in slated for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Duke is riding a four-game winning streak against Miami and this is the lone meeting this season. Duke swept the season series last year as the Blue Devils posted a 95–62 win in Miami and an 89–59 victory at home.
Duke (7–5, 5–3 ACC) travels to Miami following two wins at home. The Blue Devils posted a 75–68 victory against Georgia Tech on Jan. 26 and an impressive 79–53 win against Clemson on Saturday. Prior to that, Duke lost 74–67 to No. 20 Virginia Tech, 79–73 to Pittsburgh and 70–65 to Louisville, during three road games. While this wouldn’t be considered a quality win, the Blue Devils need to post a convincing victory to impress the March Madness selection committee.
Miami (6–10, 2–9 ACC) has struggled throughout the season and will not qualify for the March Madness tournament for the first time since 2015. After beginning the year with a 3-0 record, the Hurricanes are 3-10 over their last 13 games. Miami’s last win was on Jan. 16 when the Hurricanes upset No. 16 Louisville 78–72 as 4.5-point home underdogs. That was followed by four losses as Miami was held to 59 or fewer points in each game and were outscored by a 303-229 margin.
Posting similar numbers on defense, Miami is allowing 69.0 points per game (ppg) while Duke is giving up 70.2 ppg. The Blue Devils have an edge on offense as they are averaging 74.2 ppg while the Hurricanes are scoring 65.5 ppg. Miami has dealt with numerous injuries this season and may be without leading scorer Isaiah Wong who was injured against Wake Forest on Saturday. This is a big number to cover, for an average Duke team, but I don’t see Miami keeping pace.
Pick: Duke Blue Devils -10.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 7:00 p.m. ET
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No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 13 Texas Tech
AP Top 25 teams meet when Oklahoma and Texas Tech battle in Big 12 Conference action on Monday night. Tipoff for the Sooners vs. Red Raiders clash is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. This is the second meeting this season after Texas Tech posted a 69–67 win on Dec 20, 2020, in Oklahoma. The Red Raiders barley missed covering the spread as 2.5-point road favorites. DraftKings lists Texas Tech as a big favorite at home.
Oklahoma (11–4, 6–3 Big 12) enters this contest as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. Following two victories at home, against unranked TCU (82–46) and Kansas State (76–50), the Sooners posted three straight wins against AP Top 10 teams. The run includes a 75–68 win at home against No. 9 Kansas, an 80–79 road win against No. 5 Texas and a 66–61 win at home over No. 9 Alabama on Saturday. That win snapped a 10-game winning streak by the Crimson Tide.
Texas Tech (12–5, 4–4 Big 12) returns home following a 76–71 win over LSU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday. The Red Raiders closed the game on a 12–0 scoring run and covered as 3.5-point favorites on the road. The win snapped a two-game losing streak after the Red Raiders lost 68–60 on the road against No. 2 Baylor and 88–87 at home to No. 11 West Virginia. Texas Tech has won five of the last six meetings between these Big 12 Conference rivals.
These teams have similar numbers on offense as Oklahoma is averaging 76.9 ppg and Texas Tech is scoring 75.5 ppg. The Red Raiders have an edge on defense as they are allowing 62.2 ppg while the Sooners are giving up 67.3 ppg. Oklahoma was without leading scorer Austin Reaves on Saturday, due to COVID–19, and he is expected to miss this game as well. While this line looks like a trap – I am taking the points and betting on the Sooners keeping this contest close.
Pick: Oklahoma Sooners +6.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 9:00 p.m. ET
2020–21 NCAA Basketball Betting Record: 17–7 ATS
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