The nation’s top-ranked team is back in action on Monday night, as Cameron Boozer and the AP No. 1 Duke Blue Devils take on NC State.
Duke has won six straight games, including an impressive 26-point victory over No. 11 Virginia on Saturday, as it prepares for the 2026 March Madness Tournament.
NC State has dropped back-to-back games in conference play following its huge upset win against No. 18 North Carolina on Feb. 17.
Jon Scheyer’s team is laying 9.5 points as road favorites, with the Over/Under checking in at 148.5 total points.
Duke’s relentless defense has shut down the opposition during this win streak, as no team has scored 64 points or more. According to KenPom, entering Monday, the Blue Devils 88.3 defensive rating is the best in the nation.
This is due to the exceptional length and size this team has at its disposal.
Wooden Award favorite Boozer stands at 6-foot-9 and leads the team in points (22.5), rebounds (10), and assists (4).
In addition to Boozer, the Blue Devils feature three more rotation pieces in Patrick Ngongba, Dame Sarr, and Maliq Brown, who are 6-foot-9 or taller.
This will be a tall task for NC State, especially after a disappointing overtime loss to unranked Notre Dame.
Qadir Copeland is a burst of energy, leading the conference in assists with 6.8 per game. Overall, NC State’s offensive rating of 123.2 ranks pretty well as 24th per KenPom.
However, Ven-Allen Lubin is the only Wolfpack player with significant size who could match up with Boozer. If he gets into foul trouble early, Will Wade’s squad could run into an issue.
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The Blue Devils have dominated ACC play this season with a 15-1 conference record and +20.3 scoring margin. I see this trend continuing.
With both teams playing over the weekend and getting only a day’s rest, Duke holds a 9-3 record against the spread (ATS) when getting equal rest as their opponent.
Take into account that NC State had to play extra time on Saturday and doesn’t have the frontcourt depth to compete with Duke, take the Blue Devils to cover.
The Play: Duke -9.5 (-110, BetMGM)
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