With Duke back on the road Saturday for a battle with Boston College, the Blue Zone has you covered with some can't-miss prop bets:
Duke (-13) vs. Boston College
After a bounce-back game at Clemson, the Blue Devils hope to continue in their winning ways by securing consecutive victories. Duke is 10-3 in conference play and is tied top the ACC standings with Notre Dame, a team that head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team defeated earlier this season in a low-scoring contest. Next up on the schedule is another away game against Boston College, a program that has not finished with a winning record in ACC play since 2010-11. The Eagles are once again struggling this year, holding a 4-8 conference record and sitting 11th in the ACC standings. There is absolutely no reason for Duke to lose this game.
The two leading scorers for the Eagles are Makai Ashton-Langford, a 6-foot-3 guard, and DeMarr Langford Jr., a 6-foot-5 guard. These two relate to one another not only in their management of the backcourt, but also in the fact that they are indeed brothers from Worcester, Mass. The brothers grew up playing 1-on-1 against each other in a basketball household, but they both have now become integral members of this Boston College team. It is a great story for the Langford family, but it does not diminish the sizable advantage that Duke has. As the only nationally-ranked team in the ACC, the Blue Devils should dominate this game.
Pick: Duke -13
Over/Under 140.5 Points
In Thursday's win against Clemson, Duke scored an impressive 82 points, its third-highest total against an ACC opponent this season. The Blue Devils currently lead the ACC in scoring, averaging 80.3 points per game, which should not be a surprise considering the personnel on the roster. Against Clemson, sophomore center Mark Williams showed his potential for exceptional offensive efficiency, tallying 16 points on perfect 8-for-8 shooting from the field. Of course, there is freshman phenom Paolo Banchero, who averages 17.1 points per game and continues to receive Player of the Year consideration. Duke also has star freshmen in AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels that are capable of erupting at any point, along with the steady production of Jeremy Roach. When Duke is rolling, it is difficult to limit points and contain all of its weapons.
Despite this, going with the under is the safe bet. Boston College is an opponent that struggles offensively, scoring 65.1 points per game as the 13th-ranked offense in the conference. The Eagles’ strength comes on the defensive end of the court, where they hold opponents to 66.3 points per game as the fifth-ranked defense in the ACC. Especially while facing this team on the road, it is likely that the Blue Devils will not reach their scoring average. Combine that with the lackluster offense of Boston College, and these teams will likely be unable to reach the projected scoring total.
Pick: Under 140.5
Trevor Keels over/under 12.1 Points
After Keels scored 25 points against Kentucky in Duke's season opener at Madison Square Garden, there was discussion surrounding his potential as a lottery pick. Since then, Keels’ season at Duke has not been what many envisioned. He has struggled shooting at times and missed time due to a calf injury, making it somewhat difficult for him to establish consistency. A step in the right direction and a sign of his full recovery from injury came in the form of another 25-point performance against Clemson. The freshman guard shot an incredibly efficient 9-for-13 from the field, far exceeding his 40.3% field goal shooting average. Keels also had 11 rebounds and zero turnovers to go along with his 25 points, giving him a statline that has only been recorded five other times during Krzyzewski's Duke tenure.
The previous game was encouraging and showcased Keels’ potential, but it is fair to consider his performance somewhat of an anomaly, as the freshman is averaging 12.1 points per game for the season and 11.3 points in away games. Furthermore, in the four games before Thursday night's win, the 6-foot-5, 221-pound guard was averaging 8.8 points per game on 27.8% shooting from the field. The assumption that Keels is still recovering from his injury is fair, but especially when facing a solid defensive team in Boston College, the safe prediction is that he will not meet his season average.
Pick: Under 12.1 Points
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