On Thursday night, the #7 Duke Blue Devils (19-4, 9-3 ACC) clash with the Clemson Tigers (12-11, 4-8 ACC) in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown. Duke took down Clemson in their first meeting earlier this season, beating the Tigers 71-69 at home.
Thursday’s contest tips off at 8 p.m. EST inside Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC. Duke is a 7-point road favorite, and the over-under total is at 142 points.
What to Know – Duke Blue Devils
Duke comes into the contest on the heels of a rare home loss earlier this week to Virginia. The Blue Devils sit a half-game back of the conference lead, trailing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and tied with Wake Forest.
The Blue Devils average 80.2 points per game, shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. Duke’s defense surrenders 65.0 points per game to opponents, holding teams to 40.3 percent shooting from the floor and 29.7 percent from the 3-point line.
Virginia led by five at the break and used a game-winning three by Reece Beckman to rally by the Blue, handing Duke its first loss in six contests and the second defeat of the year inside Cameron Indoor. Mark Williams paced the Blue Devils with 16 points, and Trevor Keels came off the bench to add 12. Duke shot well from the field and held the Cavaliers to just 2-of-12 from deep but turned to the ball over 15 times.
Duke is 13-7-3 against the spread this year and 4-2 ATS on the road. The Blue Devils are 4-2 ATS over their last six against the Tigers and 4-1 ATS over their previous five away games.
What to Know – Clemson Tigers
Clemson tries to stop the bleeding after dropping three of its last four games and tumbling to the bottom of the ACC standings. The Tigers have been in every game, losing their last three contests by a combined nine points.
The Tigers score 73.0 points per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from deep. Clemson’s defense limits teams to 67.1 points per game, 41.8 percent shooting from the field, and 33.2 percent shooting from three.
A go-ahead basket by Brady Manek gave the Tar Heels a two-point lead, and UNC held on to beat the Tigers, 79-77 on Tuesday night. PJ Hall erupted for 24 points for Clemson, and Ian Schieffelin came off the bench to score 12 points.
Clemson is 13-9-1 against the spread and 7-3-1 on its home court. The Tigers are 6-0 ATS over their last six games on Thursday.
The Pick is In
The Tigers have to be frustrated over the last two weeks of play and the narrow losses they have been dealt. Duke will come into Thursday night’s match with a chip on their shoulder after Monday’s loss.
Duke’s sensational freshman Paolo Banchero rebounds after being held to nine points against Virginia, but the Tigers again keep it close until the end.
Betting Pick: Clemson Tigers +7
