We have seen enough of the current college basketball season to have an idea of which teams might well be challenging for a national championship this season. We will get an even clearer idea pretty quickly, as we are on the brink of the conference games getting underway. These are the games that truly separate the College Basketball betting contenders from the pretenders, but before we get to that, the big boys in college basketball have a game or two against much lesser opponents still to come.
Wednesday night will see the Duke Blue Devils welcome in the Evansville Purple Aces in a game that should be totally academic for a Blue Devils team that is currently ranked #4 in the nation. Their schedule certainly becomes a whole lot tougher after this one, so they will want to bounce back after a poor performance in their last game, which was their first loss of the season.
Evansville is a serious underdog for this one, but they have made a very nice start to the season, so perhaps should not be completely overlooked.
This is a team that has definitely been fun to watch this season, as they are an offensively gifted bunch that is averaging 93.3 PPG, which is good enough for second in the nation.
That approach to all-out offense has hurt them defensively, as they are giving up 75.2 PPG, which is way down the defensive rankings list. They are going to need to find a way to tighten up when they face the better teams in college ball in the coming weeks.
Purple Aces vs. Blue Devils College Basketball Betting Preview & Pick
X FACTOR: A key player to watch for each team in Duke’s matchup with Evansville Wednesday:https://t.co/fTKjlfP2Ak
— Duke Basketball (@dukebasketball) 18 de diciembre de 2017
- When: Wednesday, December 20 at 7:30 PM EST
- Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus
- TV: FSOH and TSN
- Radio: 100.5 FM (Evansville) / 620 AM (Duke)
- Live Stream: ACCDN
- College Basketball Betting Odds: TBA
Arkansas State vs. Wichita State NCAAB Betting Pick & Prediction
Team Records
- All: Evansville Purple Aces 10-2 / Duke Blue Devils 11-1
- Home: Evansville Purple Aces 8-1 / Duke Blue Devils 8-0
- Away: Evansville Purple Aces 2-1 / Duke Blue Devils 3-1
- As Favorite: Evansville Purple Aces 4-0 / Duke Blue Devils 8-1
- As Underdog: Evansville Purple Aces 2-2 / Duke Blue Devils 1-0
- ATS: Evansville Purple Aces 6-2 / Duke Blue Devils 7-3
- Over/Under: Evansville Purple Aces 3-5 / Duke Blue Devils 10-0
Why bet on the Evansville Purple Aces?
After starting the season with a 10-2 record, the Evansville Purple Aces have to be feeling good about their chances in the Mountain Valley Conference this season, but this game against a ranked opponent will give them a better idea of what sort of team they have this season. The Purple Aces have a pair of 5-game winning streaks bookending back to back losses earlier in the year, so they definitely appear to be a team that might be streaky this season. This is not a team that is going to go out there and blows anyone out, as their 72.3 PPG on offense is way down the list. That said, they have a solid defensive unit that is giving up just 61.9 PPG, good for 16th in the nation. They are not likely to go out and beat Duke, but they could make things a little frustrating for them by playing that stingy ball on the defensive end of the court.Team Statistics
Offense- Total Score: 72.25
- Field Goal Percentage: 48.36
- Three-Point Percentage: 49.09
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.74
- Total Rebounds: 34.33
- Total Score: 61.92
- Field Goal Percentage: 41.53
- Three-Point Percentage: 30.28
- Free Throw Percentage: 65.61
- Total Rebounds: 29.75
Why bet on the Duke Blue Devils?
Duke has shown themselves to be one of the favorites to win it all this season by jumping out the gate with an 11-1 record. That said, they are coming off a surprise loss to Boston College, which also just happened to be their first game against an ACC opponent. Given how things have gone for the top 10 teams all season long, perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised that the Blue Devils would eventually droop a game.
This is a team that has definitely been fun to watch this season, as they are an offensively gifted bunch that is averaging 93.3 PPG, which is good enough for second in the nation.
That approach to all-out offense has hurt them defensively, as they are giving up 75.2 PPG, which is way down the defensive rankings list. They are going to need to find a way to tighten up when they face the better teams in college ball in the coming weeks.
Team Statistics
Offense- Total Score: 93.33
- Field Goal Percentage: 50.92
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.02
- Free Throw Percentage: 70.10
- Total Rebounds: 45.42
- Total Score: 75.17
- Field Goal Percentage: 41.68
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.87
- Free Throw Percentage: 69.89
- Total Rebounds: 32.58
Latest College Basketball Betting Trends
- Purple Aces are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games
- Purple Aces are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games
- Blue Devils are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games
- Blue Devils are SU in their last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Duke’s last 5 games
