The Duke Blue Devils lost for the second time in conference play on Tuesday going up against Florida State. Now, the Blue Devils will look to get back to their winning ways at home against a Syracuse team that has lost two of its last six games.
Syracuse ended up defeating Clemson, 91-78, at home, on Tuesday with Buddy Boeheim scoring 25 points. Will Duke have answers against him tonight?
Here are our college basketball picks and predictions for Syracuse vs. Duke on Saturday, January 22.
Syracuse vs Duke odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Blue Devils opened as 11.5-point favorites. Sportsbooks are still holding -11.5 at this time but it looks like Duke is trending up and could be -12 before tip-off. The total has dropped from 155 at open to as low as 154 at a couple of sportsbooks.
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.
Syracuse vs Duke predictions
Predictions made on 1/22/2022 at 8:20 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Syracuse vs Duke game info
• Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
• Date: Saturday, January 22, 2022
• Tip-off: 12:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Syracuse at Duke betting preview
Injuries
Syracuse: No injuries to report.
Duke: Trevor Keels G (Doubtful).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Orange are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Syracuse vs. Duke.
Syracuse vs Duke 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
This Syracuse Orange isn’t one of the typical Syracuse teams we’re used to seeing. Every year there’s an expectation that Syracuse’s zone defense will stifle the opposition.
That has been far from what’s happening this season. Syracuse is currently 226th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom and has allowed teams to shoot an effective field goal percentage of 51.8%.
On top of that, it’s difficult to rebound out of a zone and Syracuse has allowed teams to grab 31.2% offensive rebounds. The Orange also struggle to force turnovers and are allowing teams to shoot 34.2% from three and 52.3% from inside the arc.
However, offensively, Syracuse has been terrific and that’s what has kept them in most games. The Orange are shooting a 53.2 eFG% while limiting turnovers and winning offensive rebounds on the glass at a high rate of 30.5%.
Syracuse has hit 38% from downtown and hasn’t been shy from long distance this season either. The Orange have also hit 50.8% from inside the arc and get to the line at a high rate.
The thing is, Duke rarely fouls and is one of the best teams in the nation in limiting foul shots this season. The Blue Devils might struggle a little bit on the defensive end when it comes to rebounding, but ultimately, Duke has held opponents to 29.7% from three and 46.2% from inside the arc this season.
On the offensive end, Duke should be able to get whatever it wants, shooting an eFG% of 55.6 while turning the ball over just 14.4% of the time. Just like Syracuse, Duke will dominate the offensive glass, and therefore, help this game get Over.
But to me, giving Duke 11.5 is just a little bit too much knowing what Syracuse is capable of on the offensive end. So, I’m going to go with the Orange and the points.
Prediction: Syracuse +11.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Orange are scoring 78.7 points per game and allowing 75.7 points per game. Don’t be surprised if Duke scores close to 80 points in this contest. In its last home game, Duke scored 88 against NC State, so that offense might explode.
But I also like what Syracuse has to offer offensively and think it will cover. So, if Syracuse is going to cover while Duke scores around 80 points, then I like this game to be high-scoring.
Prediction: Over 153.5 (-110)
Best bet
I will admit, I’m a bit more confident on the Over. Duke will win this game at home, but betting against the spread is tricky in this one.
If Duke is capable of scoring 80 or more points against Syracuse, this game is going Over.
Both teams are in the Top 20 in offensive adjusted efficiency and both teams limit turnovers while earning a large number of offensive rebounds.
All that would be great for the Over here.
Pick: Over 153.5 (-110)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
