Wake Forest vs Duke Odds, Picks and Predictions: Duke Doesn't Deserve 8-Point Line

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons face off against the Duke Blue Devils in ACC basketball action on Tuesday night. Despite entering the first year of the Jon Scheyer era with high expectations, the Blue Devils have been inconsistent and logged a double-digit loss on the road against Wake in December.

However, they're a perfect 10-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and oddsmakers project them to easily win on Tuesday, with college basketball betting odds opening with the Blue Devils as 8-point home favorites.

Here are my best free Wake Forest vs. Duke college basketball picks and predictions for January 31.

Wake Forest vs Duke best odds

Wake Forest vs Duke picks and predictions

The Demon Deacons have lost three straight games, but their last two defeats came down to the wire before two-point losses.

Although the Blue Devils are coming off an 86-43 curb-stomping of Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets are one of the worst Power 6 schools in the country, and the Deacons won't be as easy to pull away from. Prior to that beatdown of Georgia Tech, Duke had gone 0-6 against the spread in its previous six games.

That span doesn't include Duke's 81-70 loss to Wake Forest when these teams met up in Winston-Salem on December 20. Sure, the Blue Devils are a better team at home, but they still haven't been good enough to justify being 8-point faves against a dangerous Wake Forest squad that's 22nd in the country in effective field-goal percentage (54.7%).

The Blue Devils will struggle to cover this spread after underachieving all season and playing at an extremely slow pace.

My best bet: Wake Forest +8 (-108 at PointsBet)

Wake Forest vs Duke spread analysis

The Demon Deacons are on a three-game skid and are fresh off a 79-77 defeat to North Carolina State. That dropped their record to 6-5 in conference play, putting them half a game behind Duke (6-4) in the ACC standings.

The Blue Devils are coming off an 86-43 rout of Georgia Tech when they easily covered as 9.5-point road favorites. They had gone just 3-3 straight up and 0-6 ATS in their previous six games, but the team has yet to lose at home this season. 

Kyle Filipowski has been the best player in a loaded freshman class for Duke, and he leads the school with 15.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Forward Dariq Whitehead was the No. 1 recruit in the country, according to Rivals. But he's been inconsistent and is questionable for Tuesday. 

Point guard Jeremy Roach (11.6 points per game, 3.2 assists per game) provides a veteran presence and has played the last three games after missing more than two weeks with a toe injury. 

Meanwhile, the Deacons boast a versatile offense that guard Tyree Appleby leads while averaging 17.7 points and 6.1 assists per game on 44/38/83 shooting splits. Guards Damari Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth average 13.0 and 13.3 points per game, respectively, while big man Andrew Carr adds 11.9 on 51% shooting from the floor.  

The Deacons cruised to an 81-70 victory when these teams previously clashed in Winston-Salem on December 20. The Deacons shot 49% from the field in that contest while benefiting from going 22-26 from the charity stripe.

The Blue Devils allow just 13.6 free-throw attempts per game (16th-fewest in the country), while the Deacons average 19.7. Don't expect quite as many trips to the line for Wake on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils should be able to control the glass, where they rank second in the country in rebounding rate (56.5%). The Demon Deacons rank just 189th with a 50% rebound rate, and that number drops to 46.9% over their last three games.

Wake Forest vs Duke Over/Under analysis

The Demon Deacons rank 29th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, but they sit just 167th on the other end of the floor. That's led to the Deacons averaging 78.1 points per game in conference play, but also surrendering 75.7 points per contest, the second-worst number in the ACC.

However, the Blue Devils are only 272nd in the country in adjusted tempo. Their sluggish pace, poor shooting, and strong defense have been leading to some lower-scoring contests.

The Blue Devils are just 222nd in the country in effective field-goal percentage against Division I foes (49.6%). They struggle to knock down shots from the perimeter while often looking stagnant in half-court sets.

Duke is strong defensively and ranks 26th in the country in scoring defense (63.2 points per game) and 37th in adjusted defensive efficiency. While they defend well with their length and athleticism, the team doesn't put much pressure on opposing ball-handlers. That should allow the Yellow Jackets to take their time on offense.

Wake Forest vs Duke betting trend to know

The Demon Deacons are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games versus a team with a winning percentage above .600, while Duke is 0-5 ATS in its previous five contests against an opponent above .600. Find more college basketball betting trends for Wake Forest vs. Duke.

Wake Forest vs Duke game info

Wake Forest vs Duke key injuries

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