No. 9 Duke travels south Saturday for a clash against Florida State. Ahead of the matchup, the Blue Zone is here with some can’t-miss prop bets:
Duke (-5.5) vs. Florida State
A classic ACC matchup awaits as both teams are in need of a win with the end of the season right around the corner. On the one hand, Florida State comes in as the underdog, playing at home with a 7-6 record in the Tucker Center. However, the team is currently on a two-game losing streak, so a win against the Blue Devils would boost the team’s morale and give them a better chance to go deep in the ACC tournament. On the other hand, Duke is coming to Tallahassee on a three-game win streak after managing to fend off Wake Forest Monday night, and it has the momentum coming into the clash with the Seminoles. The Blue Devils saw four players score in double digits against the Demon Deacons even though the squad shot a poor 28% from behind the arc.
Despite the momentum that the team carries, Duke has shown a tendency this season to struggle in away games. The Blue Devils come in with three losses in away matchups out of the five in total, most of which have seen individual players from opposing teams go for big games. In the case of Florida State, if there is one player who could potentially have a huge performance, it would probably be the team’s leading scorer — junior forward Jamari Watkins. Watkins is fresh from a 26-point performance in a loss against Virginia Tech and is averaging 14.5 points per game. That being said, the Seminoles’ struggles offensively and lackluster defense make them a doubtful pick for this contest. While Watkins does seem poised to have a great game, Florida State is missing depth in its front court, an issue that other teams that beat Duke, like Arkansas and Georgia Tech did not have at the time.
Pick: Duke -5.5
Over/Under 152.5 points
Even with an unusually low shooting night from beyond the arc against Wake Forest, Duke still managed to score 77 points.The Blue Devils come in shooting over 36.8% from the 3-point line while scoring an average of eight threes per game. Florida State has also demonstrated that it can have high-scoring games, including a 92-101 loss against Louisville this past month. The Seminoles, however, aren't as efficient from beyond the arc as Duke but nonetheless has shown a capacity to score on a high volume mainly through its efficient fast-break and turnover rates. The team averages a whopping 9.3 steals per game compared to 5.9 for its opponents. Florida State's capacity to earn fast-break points could be an important factor for this game and could give the Blue Devils a hard time, similar to how North Carolina took advantage against Duke. All signs point to a high-scoring clash between these two multi-faceted offenses.
Pick: Over 152.5 total points
Jeremy Roach over/under 13.5 points
The Blue Devils’ captain has been one of the most consistent scorers for Duke. The Leesburg, Va., native is poised to have yet another dominant offensive performance against a Florida State defense that has struggled throughout the season. In addition, the veteran guard has a tendency to step up in the Blue Devils’ away games. Most recently, he scored 20 points against the Tar Heels in a loss while going for 22 points against Arkansas in an away-game defeat back in late November. Simply put, Roach’s experience and offensive playing style make him arguably the most reliable player on the court for Duke when the team plays outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Pick: Over 13.5 points
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