Duke Blue Devils vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, 2/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Duke Blue Devils vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Location: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

TV: ESPN+

The Duke Blue Devils (21-5) are headed to Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-9).

The Duke Blue Devils stepped onto the hardwood against Miami and walked away with a win by a score of 84-55 in their last game. Duke ended with a 51.9% FG percentage (28 out of 54) and buried 13 of 29 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Blue Devils made 15 of 21 shots for a rate of 71.4%. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 41 with 14 of them being offensive. They also recorded 19 dimes in this matchup while forcing 8 turnovers and having 4 steals. In relation to the defense, Duke allowed 31.1% from the field on 19 of 61 shooting. Miami distributed 11 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. Moreover, Miami pulled down 28 rebounds (15 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Miami went 78.6% from the charity stripe by making 11 of their 14 attempts. They also buried 6 out of their 25 tries from beyond the arc. When it comes to fouls, the Blue Devils ended up finishing with 18 and Miami finished the game with 10 fouls.

Jeremy Roach is a player who had an impact in the matchup. He finished 50.0% from the field and distributed 3 dimes. He played for 24 mins and collected 3 boards. He left the arena with 16 points on 4 out of 8 shooting.

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Duke steps onto the hardwood with a record of 21-5 for the season. They have an average of 80.5 points per outing (36th in D-1) while connecting on 48.1% from the field. The Blue Devils are connecting on 38.0% on shots from beyond the arc (216 of 569) and 72.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Duke is grabbing 36.6 boards per game and has accounted for 404 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 59th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 9.8 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 15.6 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Blue Devils are able to force 11.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.0 fouls. They are currently ranked 156th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 331 conceded so far this season. The Blue Devils defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.6% (642 of 1,506) and they relinquish 32.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are relinquishing 31.8% on shots from distance and they are 58th in the nation in opponents PPG (67.2).

When they last played, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons walked away with a victory by a final of 91-58 against Pittsburgh. When it comes to cleaning the glass, Wake Forest permitted Pittsburgh to collect 29 in all (16 offensive). They finished the game shooting 27.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 9 out of 33 and finished the contest at 13 of 19 from the free throw line (68.4%). The Demon Deacons permitted Pittsburgh to knock down 18 out of their 62 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 29.0% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Demon Deacons shot 31 for 51 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 60.8%. In terms of 3-point shots, Wake Forest converted 10 of 20 attempts (50.0%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 95.0%. Pittsburgh committed 19 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Demon Deacons to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They turned it over 9 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. The Demon Deacons were able to pull down 29 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 37 in this contest.

Kevin Miller ended up being a major contributor for the Demon Deacons for this contest. He made 7 out of 12 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and added 3 rebounds. He totaled 18 points in his 31 minutes of playing time and accumulated 2 dimes for this contest.

Wake Forest has a mark of 17-9 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Demon Deacons are connecting on 47.4% from the field, which ranks them 46th in the country. Wake Forest has 2,065 points so far this year (79.4 per game) and they average 35.4 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.6 times per game (240th in college basketball) and they cough up possession 11.1 times per contest. The Demon Deacons have committed 15.7 fouls per contest while shooting 80.5% from the charity stripe.

The Wake Forest defense gives up 31.3% on shots from 3-point land (158 of 504) and opponents are making 72.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 10.4 dimes and 33.1 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 18th and 89th in college hoops. The Demon Deacons on the defensive side of the court are 113th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 69.3. They are forcing 11.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.3% from the field (106th in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Duke

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