NCAAB: Duke’s profits slowing?
The Duke Blue Devils always have plenty of support but their backers haven’t been getting any returns lately.
Since starting the season by covering 8 of their first 12 spreads, the Blue Devils have covered just one of their last five and that should give bettors pause heading into Saturday’s matchup against the Maryland Terrapins.
Bettors also need to know that Maryland, profitable so far this season at 6-4-2 against the spread (ATS), has been successful in grabbing cash against Duke, going 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings and winning four games outright.
This game is the first in a long-list of matchups that bettors will want to wager on Saturday.
Sportsbook.com members can get the latest odds on all games on our Live Odds page and check out how other members are betting on the Betting Trends page.
You can catch this meeting on ESPN, starting at noon ET.
The difference for Duke of late is that their schedule has become increasingly difficult from the early season powder-puffs they were feasting on. In the last month, they’ve had to play Xavier, Davidson, Florida State and Georgetown and while they’re still earning wins, they haven’t been pleasing their backers.
Covering just one of their last five should cause bettors to think twice before quickly dropping money on a Blue Devils team that has traditionally had trouble against the Terrapins. Another trend to note is that Maryland is 7-2-1 in their last 10 Saturday games and 4-1 ATS in their last five road games.
For Duke to cover in this game, they’ll need to slow down Maryland junior, Greivis Vasquez, the highest scoring player on either team heading in. Vasquez, a 6’6” guard, averages 17 points per game and also leads the Terps in rebounds (6.0), assists (4.8) and steals (1.6).
Taking Vasquez out of the game is a must for the Blue Devils, who also need to use their scoring depth to penetrate a defense that allows 63.6 points per game.
Offensively, Duke ranks 18th in the nation, scoring an average of 80.1 points per game and they’ll need to build an early lead to break the spirits of a Maryland team that always saves some of their best games for the biggest competition.
Defensively, Duke gives up just 60.3 points a game and only four of their last 10 opponents have managed to score more than 60, so it will be interesting to see how the Terrapins attack when they have the ball.
That defense is a big reason why the Under is 8-0 in Duke’s last eight games against ACC teams. Bettors will want to check the Total closely as Maryland games have gone Under four of the last five times they played on the road.
NCAAB: Irish streak in jeopardy
The showcase game of the college basketball weekend comes on Saturday night when Notre Dame hosts Connecticut.
Notre Dame will be putting its nation leading home court winning streak on the line and you can get the odds here for this 7 pm ET ESPN telecast.
One week after beating Georgetown and Seton Hall, the Fighting Irish believed they were right back in the fight for title contention in the very tough Big East.
Two road losses later, Notre Dame (12-5, 5-7 ATS) has to regroup in a hurry facing a very good Connecticut club. What has undermined the Irish is a faulty road defense, allowing 77.4 points a game.
Though the competition has been weaker, they have given up just 63.4 PPG on the home hardwood and are 20-11 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. They will look to extend the nation’s best home winning streak to 47 on Saturday night.
Connecticut (17-1, 7-7 ATS) is one of the most experienced teams in a veteran league. All five starters are juniors or seniors, as is the top reserve in both the backcourt and the frontcourt.
Of the eight-man rotation, freshman guard Kemba Walker is the only player seeing any significant minutes. That’s not to say the Huskies are bullet-proof, they have made plenty of miscues in different contests, be it guards A.J. Price, Jerome Dyson or center Hasheem Thabeet.
The difference this year is they’ve made the plays late which have led to victories. With Notre Dame’s defense a question, UConn could succeed having an 80-45 ATS mark when they make 47-53% of their shots in a game.
