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6.5-point favorite Duke faces Kentucky in annual NCAAB Champions Classic 2024

6.5-point favorite Duke faces Kentucky in annual NCAAB Champions Classic 2024

Written by on November 12, 2024

Featured Sports Betting Odds, NCAA Basketball Betting News

College basketball’s annual Champions Classic returns with the better game featuring No. 6 Duke against No. 19 Kentucky from Atlanta.

The Blue Devils, led by freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, are favored on the NCAAB odds in Week 2.

Opening NCAAB Lines Subject to Change: Duke -6.5 (total 160.5)
Expert Prediction: Duke 78, Kentucky 76
 

Duke Blue Devils NCAAB Line -263

Duke returns two starters from last season’s Elite Eight squad, junior Tyrese Proctor and sophomore Caleb Foster, while also signing the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class and also making four additions through the transfer portal.

Cooper Flagg

The No. 6 Blue Devils are off to a 2-0 start behind superstar freshman Cooper Flagg, the favorite for the Wooden Award and as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Blue Devils trounced Army 100-58 on Friday despite Flagg barely playing in the second half due to cramps. He finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and five steals in about 25 minutes. Coach Jon Scheyer opened his postgame news conference with a promise that he would convene with the team’s training staff to solve the issue. It’s the second time in three years that a top Duke freshman has had those issues as Paolo Banchero had some camping problems to open the 2021-22 campaign.

Jon Scheyer

“We’ve got to help him,” Scheyer said of Flagg. “We’ve got to help him. I’m not happy about it, for him. We’ve got to help him. And we will. Right after [Friday’s game], I can promise you I’m going to be meeting [with the team’s training staff]. I don’t care if it’s all night. We can’t have that happen. Bottom line.”

Scored Points

After opening the night shooting 1-for-11 from 3-point land, the Blue Devils made 16 of their final 27 shots behind the arc (59.3%). Kon Knueppel shot 5-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, for 15 points to top Duke’s six double-digit scorers. Khaman Maluach finished with 14 rebounds and 11 points for his first collegiate double-double. Flagg and Maluach became the first Duke duo to record double-doubles in the same game since Feb. 12, 2024.

But it wasn’t Flagg who was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for the opening week but Knueppel who got the honor. In the 2-0 week, Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest, while shooting 56.5% from the field and 50.0% behind the arc. Over the last 11 seasons (since the start of 2013-14), Duke has had an ACC Rookie of the Week in 86 of a possible 187 weeks (45.9%). Twenty-five different Blue Devils have won the award at least once in that time.

The Record

Duke has won five of its last seven in the Champions Classic and the Blue Devils’ 8-5 mark is tied with Kansas for the best record among the four teams that annually compete in the event. Duke is a combined 99-35 (.739) all-time in 13 current NBA venues as Tuesday’s will be. It’s the start of a six-game stretch for Duke against four teams that are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll (No. 19 Kentucky, No. 9 Arizona, No. 1 Kansas and No. 5 Auburn).

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Duke vs Kentucky Odds provided by MyBookie

 

Kentucky Wildcats NCAAB Line +208

Under first-year head coach Mark Pope, No. 19 Kentucky (2-0) comes off a 100-72 blowout win over Bucknell on Saturday. Koby Brea hit six of Kentucky’s 13 3-pointers and scored a game-high 20 points. Brea, a Dayton transfer who led the nation in 3-point shooting (.498) last season, went 6-for-8 from the arc and is now 10-for-12 in two games this season. He is the second player in school history to make at least four 3s in their first two games at UK, joining All-American Antonio Reeves.

The Stats

The Wildcats shot 48.1 percent overall, and when they did miss they grabbed 22 offensive rebounds on the way to a 57-35 edge on the glass. In the second half, Bucknell cut the UK lead to 14 points, 52-38, before UK got consecutive threes from Brea and Kerr Kriisa to lead 58-38. Kentucky would lead by as many as 28 points, including at the final buzzer. Jaxson Robinson had 14 for the Cats, while Amari Williams had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. He has 26 career double-doubles.

Williams is just the seventh player in program history to begin a UK career with two straight double-doubles. Andrew Carr had 11 points for UK, while Otega Oweh had 10. Kriisa tied his career high with 12 assists while adding six points and four rebounds.

Mark Pope

“I’m really proud of our guys,” Pope said. “As a coach, it’s a gift to have guys that are curious and guys that are humble and want to get better. For these guys to respond to a challenge that we’ve been sitting on for about 10 days, for these guys to put up almost 60 rebounds today, it’s incredibly gratifying as a coach. It’s a really important step for us as a team.”

The Record

This marks the first time since the 1978-79 season that UK scored at least 100 points in each of the first two games. Kentucky is averaging 26.5 assists per game through its first two games, with an assist rate of 68.8% on made baskets. That total leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation.

Kentucky is 5-8 in Champions Classic games and 1-3 against Duke in the event. This will mark the first time the event has been held in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The teams met in the Georgia Dome in 2013 (the only other time the event took place in Atlanta), with the No. 9 Blue Devils topping the No. 3 Cats by a 75-68 score.

Otega Oweh

“Pretty excited,” Oweh said of Tuesday. “We’re treating it as just another game but whenever you get to travel and play in a different arena that yours, it’s always exciting. It’s always exciting to see where we’re at and we’ll see how our work we put in during the offseason is going to pay off.”

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How to Bet Duke vs Kentucky Odds NCAA Basketball

When: Tuesday, 9 PM ET
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+

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Duke vs Kentucky Series History

UK holds eight national championships and the most wins in college basketball history. Duke has won five titles and is fourth on the all-time wins list. The series between the two teams has been evenly matched, with Kentucky winning 12 times to Duke’s 11. They last met in 2021 when Duke beat Kentucky in the Champions Classic in New York.

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2022 Duke, Final 4 March Madness
 

When you think of Duke Basketball, you think of names like Johnny Dawkins, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, JJ Reddick, and the list goes on and on. Paolo Banchero and the players on this year’s squad would love to add their names to the storied list of Duke players who were on teams that won a national championship.

Their Final Four journey will start on Saturday night in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the Duke Blue Devils will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the nightcap of the Final Four. Let’s have a look at the Duke Blue Devils and how they arrive to the Final Four round so you can bet against their March Madness Odds.

NCAA March Madness Final Four Betting: Duke Blue Devils Analysis, Odds & Prediction

Final Four Round: Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Analysis

We don’t need to go into the bitter history of these two schools. Many feel that this is the greatest rivalry in college basketball. Duke has been to the Final Four 17 times.

Thirteen of those have been under the guidance of Mike Krzyzewski. By now, everyone knows that this is Coach K’s final season on the bench. That adds to the whole story of Duke making another Final Four. 

While Duke is good on the defensive end, they are stellar on the offensive end of the floor. Duke is the most efficient offensive team in the country, according to the KenPom rankings. Duke can put up points in bunches, and with the talent that they have on their roster, they can score in numerous ways.

Paolo Banchero Leading The Blue Devils

Banchero could be the #1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft if he chooses to leave Duke. The 6’10” swingman has improved his shooting. He is a force inside, and if he continues to shoot well, he will be a dominant force.

Mark Williams has been a force on the interior for the Duke Blue Devils throughout the NCAA Tournament. Not only has he been good on the offensive end, but he has been excellent on the defensive end of the floor. He can block shots and rebound well, so he will be key in Duke’s matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels. 

Wendell Moore Jr. and AJ Griffin are marksmen from beyond the arc. Much like RJ Davis and Reggie Love have for UNC, Moore and Griffin have done for Duke. Their perimeter shooting has been a huge boost for Duke during the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

Duke Blue Devils Are The Favorites

In looking at the numbers, Las Vegas has made the Blue Devils the favorite to cut down the nets next Monday night. Duke comes in at a +140. With everything surrounding Coach K, and the way that the Blue Devils are playing, they have everything going their way.

In the game against North Carolina, Duke will be playing with extra motivation. Not only will they be playing their bitter rivals, but North Carolina spoiled all the pageantry surrounding Coach K’s last home game when they defeated the Blue Devils 94-81. Duke is a four-point favorite in their game with North Carolina.

When it’s all said and done, we see the Blue Devils beating their old friends from Chapel Hill. Even though both teams are playing well, we think all of the added things surrounding Coach K’s retirement will help push Duke past the Tar Heels. Duke beats Carolina 87-82 and heads to the title game on Monday night.

 
 
   
 

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