Duke at Syracuse Betting Prediction, Pick & TV Info

Posted by Kenny Bell on Tuesday,February 21, 2017 10:14, EDT in

NCAA Basketball News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

If you don’t count 2015 when Syracuse self-imposed a ban for NCAA violations, the Orange haven’t missed an NCAA Tournament since 2008. But they are squarely on the bubble as things stand with the regular season winding down. If the Orange could upset No. 10 Duke on Wednesday, that would do wonders. It’s a matchup of the only two coaches in college basketball with at least 1,000 wins. Duke will be favored in the NCAAB odds.

Duke at Syracuse Betting Prediction, Pick & TV Info

When: Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7 PM ET
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse
TV: ESPN
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Duke / Syracuse
Opening NCAAB Lines: Duke favored by TBA

Why Bet On Duke?

The Blue Devils (22-5, 10-4) are a game behind ACC leader North Carolina, tied with Louisville in second place. Duke won its seventh game in a row Saturday, 99-94 over Wake Forest. Luke Kennard scored 23 points, freshman Jayson Tatum added 19 and Amile Jefferson had 16 for the Blue Devils, who shot 59 percent, hit 13 3-pointers and traded baskets with Wake Forest all day before finding a way to get the two defensive stops they needed. None of the seven wins were decided by more than 10 points and the Blue Devils’ average margin of victory in that span is 6.4 points.

The Blue Devils used the starting lineup of Grayson Allen, Kennard, Matt Jones, Tatum and Jefferson for the fifth straight game and eighth time this season. Duke is 8-0 this season with those five players on the floor to start the game. Duke has reached double-digit ACC win totals in 10 consecutive years.

Kennard recorded double-digit points for the 11th-straight contest and 26th time this season. He reached 20 or more points for the 14th time this year while reaching 15 points for the seventh time in the last eight contests. Kennard connected on 9-of- 15 attempts (.600 percent) from the floor with three three-pointers, his 30th consecutive game with at least one three-pointer (dating back to last season).

Kennard’s active streak of 30 games leads the ACC. In addition, Kennard connected on three or more 3-pointers for the 10th time this season. Duke reached the 90-point mark for the eighth time this season and third in ACC play.

On Monday, Tatum was named ACC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. He’ll be a Top 5 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Last week, Tatum averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per contest. He was lights out as a shooter in both games, shooting .609 (14-of- 23) from the floor, .750(9-of- 12) from three-point range and 1.000 (10-of- 10) from the line.

For the year, Tatum is averaging 16.4 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting .453 from the floor, .389 from three-point range and a team-high .870 from the line. He is a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.

Why Bet On Syracuse?

The Orange (16-12, 8-7) lost their third straight game Sunday, 71-65 to Georgia Tech, putting Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament hopes in danger just three games after the Orange had brought them back from the brink with a five-game winning streak. Since then, the Orange have shot just 22 of 82 from 3-point range, losing three consecutive games and putting the team’s season in danger once again. Perhaps the worst sign for the Orange is the team’s RPI dropped all the way to No. 83 with the loss. Last year, the Orange was ranked No. 71 in the metric, the lowest ever for a team that earned an at-large tournament bid.

“At this point every game is important for us,” Syracuse sophomore Tyler Lydon said. “We need every game. We knew that coming in so it sucks to lose it. But we’ve got a few good opportunities to finish out strong and put some wins on our resume so that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Freshman Taurean Thompson tallied his first-career double-double and the Orange came as close as two points in the final three minutes of play at McCamish Pavilion, but the comeback was short. Thompson scored a team-high 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds on the night for the double-double. The freshman had 14 first-half points to lead the Orange into the locker room.

John Gillon surpassed Brandon Triche on Syracuse’s all-time list for consecutive free throws, as the guard now owns the top spot with 38-straight this season. Triche set the previous record of 37 for the Orange in 2011. Gillon also had six assists on the night. Andrew White had a streak of seven consecutive games scoring at least 20 points end at Georgia Tech. He has played every single minute of the past eight games, a first for a Syracuse player since 2000-01.

This is the only scheduled meeting between Duke and Syracuse. Last year, the Orange won at Duke 64- 62. It was SU’s first-ever win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.