Duke Blue Devils vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 1/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Duke Blue Devils vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX

TV: ESPN+

The SMU Mustangs (11-2) welcome the Duke Blue Devils (11-2) at Moody Coliseum on Saturday.

The Duke Blue Devils stepped onto the hardwood against Virginia Tech and took home the win by a score of 88-65 in their last game. Duke ended with a 53.4% field goal percentage (31 out of 58) and knocked down 11 out of their 29 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Blue Devils buried 15 of their 15 attempts for a rate of 100.0%. When discussing getting rebounds, they collected 33 with 9 of them being offensive. They also distributed 19 assists in the game in addition to creating 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to the defense, Duke allowed the other team to shoot 46.0% from the floor on 23 of 50 shooting. Virginia Tech distributed 14 assists and had 5 steals in this game. In addition, Virginia Tech snagged 19 rebounds (4 offensive, 15 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Virginia Tech went 73.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 11 of their 15 shots. They also buried 8 of 21 shots from long range. In regard to personal fouls, the Blue Devils ended up finishing with 15 and Virginia Tech accumulated 14 personal fouls.

Cooper Flagg is a guy who was a major contributor for the contest. He shot 64.3% from the field and distributed 6 dimes. He played 30 mins played and also pulled down 3 boards. He racked up 24 points on 9 out of 14 shooting.

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Duke heads into this matchup with a record of 11-2 on the year. They currently have an average of 79.6 points per game (94th in college hoops) while connecting on 46.9% from the field. The Blue Devils are hitting 35.6% on 3-pointers (133 of 374) and 75.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Duke is collecting 39.6 boards per game and has accounted for 213 assists so far this year, which ranks 104th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 10.3 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.8 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Blue Devils have forced 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.5 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 72nd in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 150 relinquished on the year. The Blue Devils are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 36.3% (269 of 742) and they surrender 32.2 boards per contest as a team. They concede 29.3% on 3-point attempts and they rank 8th in college in PPG allowed (59.0).

When they last played, the SMU Mustangs walked away with a victory by a final of 98-82 when they played Longwood. With respect to how they attacked the glass, SMU allowed Longwood to collect 27 overall (13 offensive). They went 28.6% from beyond the arc by going 4 of 14 and walked away from this one shooting 10 out of 14 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Mustangs allowed Longwood to bury 34 of their 72 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 47.2% for the game. When all was said and done, the Mustangs went 31 for 50 from the field which had them sitting at 62.0%. In relation to 3-pointers, SMU made 10 out of their 20 tries (50.0%). They were able to convert 26 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 83.9%. Longwood earned 21 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Mustangs to the free throw line for a total of 31 attempts. They also turned it over 20 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. The Mustangs were able to corral 24 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 30 in this contest.

Kevin Miller ended up having an impact for the Mustangs for this contest. He had 24 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and had 7 dimes for this contest. He knocked down 6 out of 7 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 85.7%, and tallied 5 rebounds.

SMU has a win-loss mark of 11-2 on the year. The Mustangs commit 17.2 personal fouls every game and they go 74.9% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 16.5 times per contest (67th in college) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per game. SMU has earned 1,133 points for the campaign (87.2 per contest) and they average 40.8 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Mustangs are shooting 49.6% from the field, which has them ranked 25th in Division 1.

The SMU defense allows 34.0% on 3-pointers (102 of 300) and their opponents are converting on 74.0% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.8 dimes and 32.2 boards per contest, which ranks 237th and 77th in those categories on the defensive end. The Mustangs defensively are ranked 172nd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 70.8. They are able to force 13.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 39.6% from the field (43rd in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take SMU

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