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Duke Blue Devils vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Gambling & NCAA Handicapping Prediction

Duke vs Notre Dame CBB Picks

The Blue Devils are looking good and are probably getting better. They have won 5 straight but this is their first true road game of the season, which I think it significant given that their top player is a freshman. [ad-4468020]

Duke Blue Devils (11-2) vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-4)
Saturday January 4
Purcell Pavillion at the Joyce Center – South Bend, IN
4:00PM
Moneyline: No moneyline currently listed.
Spread: Duke -4
O/U: No total currently listed
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Duke

Notre Dame gave Ohio State all they could handle not that long ago but a lot has happened to the Fighting Irish since then.

They are probably catching them at the right time.

That freshman is player of the year candidate Jabari Parker of course. He has been fantastic, and consistent this season, never scoring less than 12 points which he did last time out in a romp over Elon where he played only 23 minutes. Parker and Rodney Hood are as good a forward scoring tandem as any team in America, combining to average more than 38ppg.

Duke does not have a ton of size up front but they are getting production.

Duke has been solid with a 5-3 ATS record this season. As mentioned this is their first true road game of the season so there is little to go on in terms of how this team will respond to a hostile environment.

For what it is worth Duke was 3-6 ATS on the road last season. Neither Parker nor Hood was on last year’s team though so it is completely different this year.

Notre Dame

The Irish have not gotten off to the start they were hoping to and now have the additional hurdle of having to deal with the absence of lead guard Jerian Grant, who was leading in scoring and assists when he became ineligible. That doesn’t make this team awful but it dramatically affects their ability to make a memorable impact in their first ACC season.

At least they get their first couple of league games at home.

Without Grant are not as perimeter oriented as their leading scorer becomes hulking center Garrick Sherman. Sherman has taken full advantage of the increased playing time this year and has doubled his scoring average to 14ppg. He has also become a reliable foul shooter at 75% so he can stay in the game late instead of being a liability.

Duke doesn’t have much size so if Notre Dame is going to be in this one he is going to have to play well – he was 29/9 against Iowa as an example

Notre Dame has been a terrible 1-6-1 ATS at home this season. On a broader scale this is their first trip through the ACC so there will not be historical data available to predict their performance from game to game.

I think that means to tread carefully especially as this club is adapting to personnel changes.

Spread Pick: Duke -4
O/U Pick: N/A
Score Prediction: Duke 77 – Notre Dame 70

By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.