Hurricanes vs Blue Devils CBB Basketball Spread/Handicapping
Being a top ranked team is dangerous territory this season. More than half of the top 5 teams in the nation have already lost this week so a win by the Canes will push them back up into some rarified are.
#5 Miami Hurricanes (23-4) vs #3 Duke Blue Devils (24-4)
Saturday March 2
Cameron Indoor Stadium – Durham, NC
6:00PM
Moneyline: No ML currently listed at Bovada
Spread: Duke -7
O/U: 136.5
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Miami
They are three games ahead of Duke in the ACC standings with three games to play making a regular season conference championship a virtual certainty.
Still the best way to prove you are the best in the league is to win at Duke.
It was a shocker the way the Canes lost at Wake Forest last week. I think bad shooting was the primary culprit and it brings into focus a weakness on this very strong team.
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They have nice depth and balance but lack that go to scorer, who can get buckets seemingly at will. On nights when the team needs a little jump or is sputtering that can be key.
Their defense wasn’t great either but they have been really solid in that department this year.
At +7 Miami is one of the top values on the board this weekend. They have already beaten the Dookies once this year and in impressive fashion.
They are more athletic and deeper and I think more talented, even if the recruiting rankings might not reveal that. They also have a lot to gain by winning with other top teams losing this week, including Duke.
Duke
Duke lost at Virginia Thursday night and it wasn’t very pretty. They scored just 24 points in the first half and never really put the game in any doubt down the stretch. They are not the first team to be humbled by the Cavs but even though this team has just 4 losses on the season there are some serious cracks in its facade.
Ones that might not all be rectified by the eventual return of forward Ryan Kelly.
More and more it seems like Duke’s fortunes are tied to forward Mason Plumlee. Early in the season he seemed to be on fire but now not so much. When they last played Miami Plumlee shot just 33% from the field as the Canes’ size seemed to really bother him. Without Kelly in the lineup they are really making it more challenging for him inside.
Seth Curry continues to shoot well but is limited by the chronic injury.
As I said above I think the oddsmakers got this one wrong. I actually would have made the Hurricanes a favourite even though it is the rare occasion that the Blue Devils lose two games in a row.
The only factor I can put my finger on is that the game is at Cameron.
That environment can intimidate but these Dookies are not step on your throat good.
Spread Pick: Miami +7
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Miami 76 – Duke 69
