The hype behind Jabari Parker and the Duke Blue Devils has subsided quite a bit since the beginning of the season. Duke is still a very talented squad, but this is one of those teams—mainly because it is being led by freshmen—that needs to spend the regular season maturing and learning how to play together before it truly begins to peak (hopefully) in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils will have a chance to begin proving themselves on a national stage when they plays back-to-back games against the No. 20 and No. 2 teams in the nation over the next week.

The No. 20 Pittsburgh Panthers have been quite a surprise in the ACC. The team started the year with an 18-2 record and has only one loss in seven conference matchups. Pittsburgh is currently second in the ACC and still has a matchup against the No. 2-ranked, and conference-leading, Syracuse Orange left on its schedule. Let’s take a closer look at Monday’s matchup between Duke and Pittsburgh with predictions and analysis.

Duke at Pittsburgh Betting Story Lines

Duke is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation with an average of 81.6 points per game. The squad has three double-digit scorers and is being led by the 18.7 points and eight rebounds from freshman standout Jabari Parker. Rodney Hood and Quinn Cook also add quality production with 17.7 and 12.6 points, respectively. Cook also leads the team in assists with 5.5 per game.

Duke has already lost two games during conference play and is ranked fourth in the ACC through its first seven games. The Blue Devils, however, have back-to-back matchups against the top two teams in the ACC this week—Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Duke is 12-8 ATS and has covered its last three games but will be an underdog for only the second time this season when it faces Pittsburgh tonight.

The Panthers are a Top-100 team in points per game (72nd), rebounds (80th), assists (10th) and field goal percentage (14th). The squad has three double-digit scorers and is being led by the 17.9 points and 4.8 rebounds of senior Lamar Patterson. Forward Talib Zanna adds 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 27 minutes of action per night.

Pittsburgh is coming off a four-point win over Maryland on Saturday, and the team has won two games in a row after a close loss to Syracuse last week. Patterson filled up the stat sheet during the team’s win over Maryland and had 28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. The squad out rebounded its opponent by nine boards and shot 51 percent from the field for the entire night. Pittsburgh’s only weakness was its three-point shooting, where it was 1-7 from long range.

Duke at Pittsburgh NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Pittsburgh opened as a four-point favorite over the underdog Blue Devils at BetOnline. Duke is 6-2 ATS over its last eight games following a SU win and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 versus teams with winning SU records. The squad has covered seven of its last 10 overall matchups but only two of its last seven matchups against teams with winning home records. Duke has also gone “under” in seven of its last 10 games following an ATS win.

Pittsburgh is 8-2-1 ATS over its last 11 games against the Atlantic Coast Conference and 16-6-1 ATS over its last 23 Monday games. The squad has only covered two of its last seven home games and three of its last 11 games following a SU win. Pittsburgh has gone “over” in five of its last six overall games.

Free College Basketball Picks: Duke at Pittsburgh Predictions

Duke is a very talented squad, but it can be inconsistent at times. The team’s top two players are a freshman and sophomore, and overall it is still an inexperienced group. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is being led by a group of seniors and has played together for a few years. Duke is only 1-2 on the road this season, while Pittsburgh is still undefeated at home. Tonight’s game will probably be a close and exciting matchup between two very good teams, but expect the home team to be able to pull away late in the game and cover the spread. Duke still seems to struggle on the national stage. Take Pittsburgh minus the points.

Read more articles by George Monroy