Duke Blue Devils vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 2/5/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Duke Blue Devils vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Duke Blue Devils (19-2) are headed to JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday where they will try to beat the Syracuse Orange (10-12).

The Duke Blue Devils took the court against North Carolina and took home the win by a score of 87-70 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Blue Devils ended up finishing with 13 while North Carolina accounted for 15 fouls. They converted 7 of 19 shots from 3-point land. North Carolina went 78.6% at the charity stripe by burying 11 of 14 attempts. In addition, North Carolina collected 30 rebounds (12 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. North Carolina recorded 11 dimes and had 4 steals in this contest. When talking about defending, Duke allowed their opponent to shoot 47.3% from the field on 26 out of 55 shooting. They also dished out 20 assists for the game in addition to creating 14 turnovers and earning 10 steals. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they earned 26 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Blue Devils buried 21 of 25 shots for a rate of 84.0%. Duke wrapped up the contest having earned a 52.8% FG percentage (28 out of 53) and knocked down 10 of 20 shots from 3-point land.

Kon Knueppel is one player who came through for the matchup. He walked away with 22 points on 7 out of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and snagged 5 rebounds. He shot 63.6% from the floor and distributed 5 dimes.

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Duke comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 19-2 on the season. They turn it over 10.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 15.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Duke is collecting 39.3 boards per game and has 356 assists this season, which has them ranked 59th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Blue Devils are shooting 36.8% on 3-point shots (211 of 573) and 77.0% from the charity stripe. They average 80.3 pts per game (50th in Division 1) while going 47.7% from the floor.

On defense, the Blue Devils are forcing 12.0 turnovers per game while drawing 16.7 fouls. They are surrendering 31.3% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 5th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (60.0). The Blue Devils defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 37.7% (451 of 1,197) and they concede 30.3 boards per contest as a team. They currently rank 49th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 248 conceded so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Syracuse Orange walked away with a victory by a final of 75-66 when they faced California. The Orange pulled down 30 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 39 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. California was called for 15 fouls for the contest which got the Orange to the charity stripe for a total of 20 tries. They were able to knock down 17 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 85.0%. In reference to shots from distance, Syracuse buried 8 of 16 tries (50.0%). Overall, the Orange went 25 out of 54 from the field which had them sitting at 46.3%. The Orange allowed California to bury 18 out of their 63 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 28.6% in the game. They finished 17.1% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 6 out of 35 and finished the contest at 24 out of 30 from the charity stripe (80.0%). In relation to how they rebounded, Syracuse allowed California to get 32 overall (14 offensive).

Lucas Taylor ended up being important for the Orange for the contest. He converted 5 of 8 in the game for a rate of 62.5%, and had 7 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist.

Syracuse has a record of 10-12 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Orange are hitting on 45.4% from the floor, which is ranked 151st in college. Syracuse has accumulated 1,633 points on the campaign (74.2 per game) and they collect 37.8 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 13.2 times per contest (231st in D-1) and they are turning it over 12.5 times per contest. The Orange commit 16.0 fouls per contest and they go 69.5% from the charity stripe.

The Syracuse defense gives up 33.0% on 3-point attempts (176 of 534) and opponents are connecting on 72.9% of their free throw attempts. They allow 13.1 assists and 34.5 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 186th and 188th in college hoops. The Orange on the defensive end are ranked 314th in the nation in PPG allowed with 77.0. They have forced 9.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.9% from the floor (264th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Syracuse

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