What would an NCAA Tournament be like without Duke? College basketball fans are going to find out unless the Blue Devils shock the world and win the NCAA Tournament. They open that event Tuesday against Boston College with Duke favored on the NCAAB odds. Duke is +2000 to win the ACC Tournament and Boston College +20000. The winner faces Louisville on Wednesday.

How to Bet Boston College vs. Duke NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Tuesday, 4:30 PM ET
• Where: Greensboro (NC) Coliseum
• TV: ACC Network
• Stream: ESPN app
• Radio:com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (Duke will be favored)

Last Meeting

These schools met on Jan. 6 at Duke when the Blue Devils were ranked 21^st (that seems like forever ago) and the Boston College lost 83-82. Duke Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski was sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols at the time. The Blue Devils’ Wendell Moore Jr. led the way with 25 points. BC’s CJ Felder hit a 3-pointer with 1 second left for the final margin. The Eagles shot 56 percent from the field but turned it over 21 times.

Why Bet on Boston College? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

This has been a completely disastrous year for BC (4-15), which already fired coach Jim Christian and has seen a few players leave the program. That includes guard Wynston Tabbs, who played in 12 games, earning nine starts. He averaged 13.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He had suspended for the remainder of the season due to a violation of the university’s COVID-19 protocols.

The Eagles closed the regular season with an 80-76 loss at Miami on Friday. James Karnik led six Eagles in double figures with 15 points. BC erased Miami’s largest lead of the game of nine points with a 11-0 run while the Hurricanes went scoreless for over 4 1/2 minutes to trail 68-66 with 3:40 left. The Hurricanes responded with a 9-0 run that gave them a 75-68 lead with 1:49 remaining. Boston College got within three on a 3-pointer by Frederick Scott with 6.4 seconds to go but could get no closer.

Karnik hit all nine of his free throws and was 3-for-6 from the floor.  He also grabbed five rebounds. Makai Ashton-Langford added 13 points, a career-best eight assists, four rebounds, and a steal.  Scott and Kamari Williams scored 11 points each.  Scott added eight boards, while Williams pulled down six.  CJ Felder had 10 points and a career-high six blocks. Jay Heath finished with 10 points.

Karnik’s 9-for-9 performance from the line was a season-best by a BC player. The last BC player to go perfect from the foul line with a minimum of nine attempts was Derryck Thornton (11-11) vs. N.C. State on Feb. 16, 2020. Felder’s six blocked shots were a career-high and the most in a game by a BC player since Eddie Odio registered six blocks vs. Maryland on Feb. 19, 2013.

Ashton-Langford tied his career-best of eight assists, previously set at Georgetown on Jan. 12, 2019. His assist/turnover ratio improved to 2.00:1 and puts him above the ACC minimum (3.0 apg) to qualify for the league leaders in that statistical category.

Assistant Scott Spinelli is serving as the interim BC coach but isn’t thought a candidate for the full-time job. Several names have been rumored potential replacements in Chestnut Hill, including Loyola Chicago’s Porter Moser, former Michigan coach John Beilein, Michigan assistant coach Howard Eisley, St. Bonaventure’s Mark Schmidt, VCU’s Mike Rhoades and Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett.

Why Bet on Duke? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

Duke (11-11) lost its third straight game Saturday, swept in the season series by bitter rival North Carolina 91-73. he Tar Heels got off to a 26-6 lead, and Duke was never in the game from the opening tip.

The Blue Devils shot 28-of-69 (.406) from the field but just 5-of-27 from three-point range (.185), and couldn’t climb back in the game after falling behind by 20 points midway through the first half.

Duke finished with four players in double figures, including three freshmen – Mark Williams (18), DJ Steward (16) and Jeremy Roach (10). Over Williams’ last four games, he is averaging 16.0 points and shooting .763 from the field (29-of-38). Sophomore Matthew Hurt had 14 points, marking the 21st time in 22 games this season that Hurt has scored 12+ points.

Duke finished with 13 steals – one shy of its season-high 14 vs. Boston College. The Blue Devils have now connected on at least one three-point field goal in 1,111 consecutive games – the nation’s second longest active streak. However, Duke finished the regular season without a winning record for the first time since 1994-1995.

The Blue Devils will be playing on Tuesday at the ACC Tournament for the first time ever as they are the No. 10 seed and BC the No. 15. Under Krzyzewski, Duke has not missed the NCAA Tournament since 1995. Barring a miracle, that streak will end this year. Duke will need to win five games in five days to guarantee its 25th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

Expert Prediction

• Duke 78, Boston College 68

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