Check out our free Wake Forest vs Duke pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Durham. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Wake Forest vs Duke Pick & Preview: Tuesday, January 31st Betting Odds

Demon Deacons vs Blue Devils Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Duke Blue Devils
  • Where: Durham at Cameron Indoor Stadium
  • Date: Tuesday, January 31st
  • Betting Odds: Wake Forest +9, WAKE +330 | DUKE -442 O/U 147.0

Demon Deacons Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Duke, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be taking the floor for the 23rd time this season and have an overall record of 14-8. So far, the Demon Deacons have played 8 games on the road, with a record of 3-5. For the season, Wake Forest has been the underdog in 8 games, sitting with a mark of 3-5. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Demon Deacons being +9 point underdogs.

Wake Forest’s leading scorer this season is Tyree Appleby, who is averaging 17.73 points per contest. So far, Appleby has accounted for 22.9% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 2.95 rebounds per game and 6.09 assists. Cameron Hildreth is the second leading scorer for the Demon Deacons, averaging 13.27 points per game. Between him and Hildreth, they are accounting for 40.0% of the team’s scoring.

Wake Forest comes into today’s matchup vs Duke, looking to continue their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 79.5 points per game. Through 22 games, they have hit 48.8% of their field goal attempts. In terms of pace, the Demon Deacons have preferred to slow the game down, ranking 316th in possessions per game.

Blue Devils Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Wake Forest, the Duke Blue Devils will be taking the floor for the 22nd time this season and have an overall record of 15-6. So far this season, Duke has played 12 games at home, sitting with a record of 11-1. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Blue Devils as the -9 point favorites. The Blue Devils have been favored 20 times, going 15-5 straight up.

Kyle Filipowski comes into today’s game as the Blue Devils’ leading scorer at 15.81 points per contest. Not only has Filipowski been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Duke’s top rebounder at 9.38 boards per contest. Behind Filipowski, the team has benefited from the strong play of Jeremy Roach, who is second on the team in scoring at 11.65 points per game. Overall, he has hit 37.5% of his shots and is adding 2.53 boards per game.

So far this season, Duke has put together a strong scoring offense at 80.2 points per game (13th). This strong figure has come despite the Blue Devils playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 36.8% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Duke’s overall field goal percentage currently sits at 48.9%

Free Spread Prediction: Wake Forest Demon Deacons +9

The Duke Blue Devils will tip off their matchup over Wake Forest Demon Deacons as the strong favorites to pick up the win with a point spread sitting at -9. Our analysis like’s Duke’s chances to pull home with an easy win and cover the spread. When looking at how each team likes to play, both Duke and Wake Forest are near the NCAA average in possessions per game. We like how this scenario favors Duke, as throughout the game their superior talent should come through in an easy win. Although the Blue Devils don’t have a great track record vs the spread as the betting favorite, going 1-4 (last 5), we like their chances to come home with the ATS win.