Clemson vs Duke Odds, Picks and Predictions: Blue Devils and Tigers Trade Blows

The Clemson Tigers head to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for an ACC showdown against the Duke Blue Devils. Duke is the No. 12 ranked team in the country while the Tigers fell out of the AP Top 25 last week after hitting a rough patch in conference play. 

College basketball odds have the Blue Devils installed as 7.5-point home favorites with the Over/Under at 150 for this clash in Durham. Here are my free college basketball picks for Clemson vs. Duke on January 27.

Clemson vs Duke best odds

Clemson vs Duke picks and predictions

The Clemson Tigers are coming off a victory against Florida State where they held the Seminoles to 67 points on 41% shooting. However, the 'Noles are just 122nd in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and the Tigers face a far better offense today in the Duke Blue Devils. 

The Blue Devils are ninth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and beat Louisville 83-69 in their last outing. They are 0-3 against the spread in their last three games but were missing their second and third-leading scorers in Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach in their previous two contests, with both returning against the Cardinals. 

With Mitchell (12.7 points per game), Roach (14.4 ppg), preseason All-American Kyle Filipowski (18.2 ppg), and freshman sharpshooter Jared McCain (15.6 ppg in the last 10 games), Duke can fill up the hoop. It should have little problem putting up points against a Clemson team that ranks 93rd in adjusted defensive efficiency and has been torched by Georgia Tech, Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami in recent weeks. 

The Tigers are outside the Top 300 in opponent turnover rate (12.4%) while ranking 238rd in opponent 3-point percentage (34.6%). That's bad news against a Duke squad that is sixth in turnover rate (11.8%) and shoots a sizzling 37.8% from deep.

That said, the Blue Devils also showed cracks on defense last week allowing mediocre Georgia Tech and Pitt teams to average 79.5 ppg on a combined 52.6 FG%. The Tigers have a finely-tuned offense of their own, ranking 13th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and 19th in half-court efficiency per ShotQualityBets.

They also have good ball movement and shoot well from long range, knocking down 8.5 treys per game at a 36% clip while limiting turnovers. It's also worth mentioning that while Cameron Indoor stadium can be an extremely tough venue for visitors, Clemson has an impressive 54.9 EFG% on the road — the third-best number among Power Six schools. 

Both teams play at a slightly below average tempo and don't do much in transition but given how efficient they are in the half-court, they should still put up plenty of points.

My best bet: Over 150 (-110 at DraftKings)

Clemson vs Duke same-game parlay

Over 150

P.J. Hall Over 15.5 points

Jared McCain Over 2.5 made threes

Stepped-up promo available

+450 at DraftKings

While Filipowski has received plenty of attention from the media, Clemson center P.J. Hall is pretty damn good himself. The senior is averaging 19.7 ppg on 52% shooting and has scored 17+ points in 13 of 18 games this season. 

He scored 26 points in last season's win against Duke and should have another big game since Filipowski is a below average defender in the paint.

McCain is a five-star recruit who has seen his playing time surge over the last month. He's averaging 32.4 minutes per game over the last 10 games and has knocked down at least three shots from beyond the arc in six of those contests. 

The Over 2.5 three-pointers for McCain is paying out at +140 which is surprising when you consider how poorly the Tigers defend the arc. Clemson is 307th in the nation in 3-pointers allowed per game (8.6) with that number ticking up to 10.2 over the last six games.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Clemson vs Duke spread and Over/Under analysis

This line opened with Duke installed as a 7.5-point favorite and has ticked up to -8 at some books, while others have seen no movement as of noon ET. The total opened at 151 and went down to 149.5 before buyback on the Over moved it back to 150. 

The Blue Devils are 0-3 ATS in their last three and they're fresh off a victory against Louisville where they missed covering by just a single point as 14.5 point favorites. Prior to that, they lost outright as 12.5-point chalk against Pitt, and while they didn't have Mitchell and Roach in that game, it was still a shocking result since they hammered the Panthers by 22 points on the road just two weeks before.

It's worth mentioning that prior to Duke's recent 0-3 ATS stretch, the Blue Devils had gone 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS in their previous seven games. 

Clemson rolled through the non-conference part of its schedule by beating Alabama, Boise State, South Carolina, and TCU while barely losing to Memphis on the road. However, the Tigers have looked shaky in ACC play, going 2-4 SU and ATS in their last six games.

These teams faced off last season with Clemson winning 72-64 at home. Both sides have many of the same players from that clash with the Tigers returning three starters and the Blue Devils coming back with four.

Clemson vs Duke betting trend to know

The Over is 11-4 in Clemson's last 15 games while the Over has cashed in five straight home games for Duke. Find more college basketball betting trends for Clemson vs. Duke.

Clemson vs Duke game info

Clemson vs Duke key injuries

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