The Duke Blue Devils are smarting from a home loss as they go on the road to take on the Clemson Tigers on Thursday night.
These teams battled just two weeks ago with the Blue Devils holding on for a 71-69 win as 11-point home favorites. But oddsmakers are expecting a better performance from Mike Krzyzewski's squad tonight, with college basketball betting lines opening with Duke as 7.5-point chalk for this ACC matchup.
Here are our best free Duke vs. Clemson picks and predictions for Thursday, February 2, with tipoff at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Duke vs Clemson odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board at Duke -7.5 with the total at 142. As of 10:00 a.m. ET the total has stayed steady but early money on Clemson has shifted the line to Duke -6.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Duke vs Clemson predictions
Predictions made on 2/10/2022 at 10:25 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Duke vs Clemson game info
• Location: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC
• Date: Thursday, February 10, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ACCN
Duke at Clemson betting preview
Injuries
Duke: No injuries to report.
Clemson: Hunter Tyson F (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Blue Devils are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS loss. Find more NCAA betting trends for Duke vs. Clemson.
Duke vs Clemson picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Duke Blue Devils are fresh off a 69-68 home loss as 12-point favorites against Virginia. That snapped a five-game winning streak for the 19-4 Blue Devils who are still at No. 7 in the AP Top 25 and are one of the favorites on the National Championship odds board.
The Tigers are also coming off a home loss, falling 79-77 to the Tar Heels on Tuesday night. They are 2-6 SU (3-4-1 ATS) in their last eight games but four of those defeats were very close including that 2-point loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 25.
A big reason Clemson was able to keep things tight in that contest was rebounding, especially when it came to getting second chances on offense. The Tigers gobbled up 14 offensive rebounds in that contest while the Blue Devils had just three. However, Duke averages 9.8 offensive rpg while Clemson averages a modest 7.7.
That rebounding edge certainly looks like an outlier, as does the fact that Clemson turned the ball over just eight times in that game while averaging 14.3 turnovers per game over their last three contests. Another factor to consider is that Clemson got a strong performance from starting forward Hunter Tyson in that previous meeting but lost the senior to a broken clavicle last week.
While the Tigers have the depth to not be affected too much by the loss of Tyson (10.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg), they don't have the top-end talent of Duke.
The Blue Devils are led by freshman Paolo Banchero (17.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg) who is the favorite to get picked first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. They also have a stat-stuffing swingman in Wendell Moore Jr (14 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.4 apg), a seven-foot defensive monster in Mark Williams (3.1 blocks per game), and two other freshmen who can get buckets in Trevor Keels (11.5 ppg) and A.J. Griffin (9.5 ppg on 52/49/72 shooting).
The Blue Devils are coming off a poor shooting night at home against Virginia but they should be locked in against a Clemson squad that ranks 102nd in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
With the Blue Devils going 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a straight-up loss and 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight contests after an ATS defeat, bet on them to bounce back tonight.
Prediction: Duke -6 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
When these teams met up previously they combined for 140 points, going below the O/U of 145.5, despite the fact that they both shot lights out from deep.
The Tigers are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country but the Blue Devils are typically one of the better teams at defending on the perimeter. Duke holds opponents to a 29.6 3-point percentage on the year so we could see some regression from Clemson in that department.
The Blue Devils also do a great job of defending inside the arc and with their size inside they will pose problems for a Clemson team that shoots a modest 51.1% from 2-point range (117th in the country).
This Duke team is just as strong defensively as it is on offense and combined with the fact that both schools play at a modest tempo, we'll lean ever so slightly towards the Under.
Prediction: Under 142 (-110)
Best bet
When it comes right down it, Duke is the vastly superior team in this matchup — especially in terms of talent and athleticism. And home-court advantage might not mean much for the Tigers with Duke going 4-1 ATS in its last five away games with each victory coming by at least nine points.
We're getting a good line in this spot because Duke is coming off a poor performance versus UVA and Clemson was neck-and-neck with the Blue Devils just 16 days ago. But we're trusting the team with the better resume over the last two months and laying the points with the faves.
Pick: Duke -6 (-110)
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