Duke men's basketball is coming off a strong win against No. 25 Ohio State, and will look to maintain that momentum this afternoon against Boston College. The Blue Zone brings you our can't-miss prop bets ahead of the conference matchup:
Duke (-17.5) vs Boston College:
After a difficult weekend at the Phil Knight Legacy, No. 17 Duke bounced back with an impressive win against No. 25 Ohio State. In the Blue Devils' first ranked victory of the season, freshman Kyle Filipowski and graduate transfer Ryan Young dominated down low, scoring 16 points and 10 points, respectively, while combining for eight rebounds. Junior captain Jeremy Roach also flashed his creativity, scoring 13 points and dishing out five assists. As Duke starts ACC play against the Eagles, the team carries some momentum and the knowledge that it will continue to improve as highly-touted freshmen Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively II play more minutes.
On the other hand, Boston College begins its ACC slate after a rough start to the season, with losses to teams such as Maine and Tarleton. Injuries to four-star guard Donald Hand Jr., four-star forward Prince Aligbe, big man Quinten Post and its best returning player DeMarr Langford, have left the Eagles shorthanded and struggling on both ends of the court. Their lack of depth was exploited by Nebraska on Wednesday, who clinched the victory in the second half with a 33-6 run.
Although Langford played Wednesday against Nebraska, Boston College is still overmatched. Its offense has yet to find a consistent rhythm, and against Duke guards Roach and sophomore Jaylen Blakes, who excel defensively, the Eagles will struggle to score points. T.J. Bickerstaff has stepped up defensively, averaging a block per game. However, he has yet to face an opponent of the caliber of Filipowski or Young, and the Blue Devils will overwhelm Boston College down low. Expect Duke to pull away early and not look back.
Pick: Duke (-17.5)
Over/Under 129.5 points
Boston College has sputtered on offense, only averaging 64.6 points per game against subpar teams. Its offense remains too reliant on its guards making tough shots, which the Eagles have not been able to do. Starting graduate guard Makai Ashton-Langford is shooting just 16.7% from beyond the arc, while Jaeden Zackery is only shooting 37.3% from the field–a regression from 46.3% last season.
While Duke’s offense has had more success, averaging 71.9 points per game, it also is not an offensive powerhouse. If the game is competitive, it will likely be extremely low scoring and a defensive slogfest. However, even if the Blue Devils score at will, it’s tough to see Boston College scoring enough points to surpass the line of 129.5 points.
Pick: Under 129.5
Tyrese Proctor over/under 8.5 points
Starting freshman Tyrese Proctor currently has the hot hand in the Duke backcourt. He has grown into his role as the facilitator and point man to knock down big shots. He has excelled in his last two games, scoring 16 points against then-No. 24 Purdue and 12 points against No. 25 Ohio State. His performance against the Boilermakers was especially noteworthy, as the Sydney, Australia, native knocked down seven field goals, all of his free throws and dished out three assists as well. Entering ACC play this afternoon, look for the freshman to continue connecting from the field and muscling his way to the charity stripe.
Pick: Over 8.5
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