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Even when a team is winning outright, this doesn't necessarily mean they are covering the spread. Gambling911.com looks at recent game performance for specific teams to see who is winning out - the bookie or the bettor. Here we look at the Duke Blue Devils as of February 22.
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Duke will be taking on Syracuse Saturday in a marquee matchup that has pundits already making their predictions.
Jeff Borzello, college basketball insider: "This one is really tough to read due to the emotions of this week. There are questions about Zion Williamson's availability, and there are questions about whether Jim Boeheim will coach. On the floor, though, Syracuse goes for the sweep of the Blue Devils. In the first meeting, it was sort of a perfect storm for Syracuse: Tre Jones injured after six minutes, Cam Reddish not playing, Duke going 9-for-43 from 3-point range. This time around, Williamson likely will be very limited even if he plays and the Blue Devils looked awfully vulnerable without him against North Carolina on Wednesday -- at both ends of the floor. That said, I still don't see Duke losing two in a row. There's too much talent on that roster and they've now had a few days to adjust to life without Zion."
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Duke is the number one ranked team in College Basketball right now. This typically means that the gamblers will be backing Duke on lines that can be shaded up to a point.
As this one was going to press, we didn't have a number yet for the Duke-Syracuse 6 pm EST matchup Saturday but we do know what the line should be based on Sagarin's calculations. Blue Devils -8 to -8.5, keeping in mind that other variables such as players sitting out (Zion Willams for Duke) are not factored into these calculations.
Duke's loss to North Carolina the other day made for three straight failed covers, which should translate into significant profits for North Carolina-focused bookies over the past week. These books are hurting a bit on the season with Duke 15-11 Against The Spread. Raleigh-Durham bookmakers surely made up for most of that this past week.
Overall, it's a wash with Duke covering in half of their last ten games. Gamblers are best served sitting on the sidelines until the Blue Devils get out of their current funk.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
