NC State vs. Duke Prediction, Odds and Key Players for ACC Tournament Quarterfinal (Blue Devils cruise to semis)
By Reed Wallach
Duke's push for an ACC Tournament crown starts on Thursday night in quarterfinals action against North Carolina State.
The Blue Devils won the lone meeting against the Wolfpack, winning in Raleigh by 15, can the team make it two in a row with the stakes even higher? The Blue Devils are trending towards a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but a loss here could knock the team down to the No. 3 seed.
Let's break down the odds, key players, and how we view this game from a betting perspective with the Blue Devils a double-digit favorite with odds from FanDuel Sportsbook!
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NC State vs. Duke Odds, Spread and Total
Duke vs. NC State Betting Trends
- Duke is 18-13 against the spread (ATS) this season
- Duke is 8-2 ATS over the last 10 games
- NC State is 14-18-1 ATS this season
- Duke has gone UNDER in eight of the last 10 games
NC State vs. Duke How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, March 14th
- Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
- Venue: Capital One Arena
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
- NC State Record: 19-14
- Duke is 24-7
NC State vs. Duke Key Players to Watch
NC State
DJ Horne: Horne missed the Wolfpack's first game of the ACC Tournament with a hip flexor, but returned off the bench against Syracuse, scoring 16 points while dishing out two assists. He now gets another crack at Duke after scoring eight points in the first meeting of the year on March 4th.
Duke
Jeremy Roach: Roach was on point in the first meeting, scoring 21 points despite making only one of seven threes, able to get to the rim against the Wolfpack perimeter defense. Can he bounce back for the Blue Devils after a struggle against North Carolina last Saturday in the regular season finale?
NC State vs. Duke Prediction and Pick
This game sets up nicely for the Blue Devils to get on track in Washington D.C. as the Wolfpack won't have an answer for the No. 2 seed inside.
Duke shot 60% on two's in the first meeting, off-setting a poor shooting game from the perimeter (30%), but also gobbled up 19 of its misses to out-pace the rim-reliant Wolfpack.
While big man DJ Burns dropped 27 in the loss, I believe Duke's defense will be fine going shot-for-shot with the Wolfpack given the team graded out as the third-worst offense in terms of effective field goal percentage in ACC play.
Duke's offense has been at the top of the ACC all season, including leading the league in three-point percentage and second in offensive rebounding rate. With the Wolfpack playing its third game and three days, I believe the Blue Devils pull away in the second half and cover the spread.
PICK: Duke -11.5
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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