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NCAAB Handicapping: Davidson vs. Duke (Jan. 7)

The Davidson Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils will both be gunning for a victory on Wednesday when they meet at Cameron Indoor Stadium…

NCAA Basketball – Davidson’s Stephen Curry Takes on Duke

Duke has had a hot hand lately, shooting 52% against NC-Asheville, 52.5% against Xavier and 54.5% against Loyola. Against Virginia Tech in its last outing, though, the Blue Devils hit less than 41% of their shots. They won the game with defense, holding the Hokies to just 13 points and 33% shooting in the second half.  

BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: DUKE -14

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* DAV has covered one of its last six games
* DAV has won eight of its last nine games SU
* DAV has covered ten of its last 12 road games
* DAV has won 14 of its last 17 road games SU
* DUKE has won 12 of its last 13 games SU
* DUKE has covered five of its last six games

Also…

* DUKE has covered five of the last seven meetings
* DUKE has won the last seven meetings SU
* DUKE has had the shooting edge in each of the last five meetings
* DUKE has had the rebounding edge in six of the last seven meetings

Kyle Singler has made 15 of his last 26 shots over two games and remains the Blue Devils’ most consistent scorer. He leads four starters averaging in double figures, a group that includes 48% shooter Gerald Henderson (12.3 ppg). Duke is still very guard-oriented; they start Henderson, Jon Scheyer (13.8 ppg) and Nolan Smith (11.1 ppg) in the backcourt, with Singler still assuming the role of a power forward, even though he is rather small for the position.

This is a perimeter team, although the Blue Devils are not without a little beef. Brian Zoubek has been offering something steady at center, pulling down almost five rebounds a game in about 14 minutes of playing time, and shooting 64% with a limited repertoire. Lance Thomas comes off the bench to contribute in his place.

Davidson, as everyone knows, has Stephen Curry, who leads the nation in scoring at 29.2 points per game. He has been given the added responsibility of running the team on the floor, and has shown a tremendous amount of court sense, although his assist-turnover ratio (7.0-to-3.8) isn’t so outstanding. It’s not often that he hasn’t succeeded, but a couple of teams have shadowed him. Purdue’s Chris Kramer shut him down, holding him to 13 points on 5-for-26 shooting.

Two years ago Curry marched into Cameron Indoor Stadium and scored five points as his team was turned back by 28 points. This time around Smith, Duke’s point guard and the team’s designated defensive stopper, will get the assignment to get in Curry’s face. Curry is not the only player on the Davidson roster who can put in in the basket. Andrew Lovedale (12.8 ppg) is an inside player Duke has to account for, but he’s not bulky and has been limited to just 37 points in his last four games.

Duke obviously has edges in balance and depth here. What they have to do is make sure Curry stands out in only one area of his game. They have to make sure he doesn’t either shoot lights out or open things up all over the floor for teammates. The Cameron crowd will be very charged up for Curry’s arrival. This Duke team finds itself not being compromised in the size department for a change. They know this is a team that won’t try to slow things down on the them. There is hope for the ACC regular season title, now that North Carolina lost. Remember also that the Blue Devils like to seize opportunities to run up the score.

Exercise some caution, but lay it with Duke, the 14-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college basketball sports betting odds.

Our PLAY: DUKE -14 **

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"