Wake Forest vs Duke Basketball Odds & Predictions
Written January 28, 2009 by Jay Horne
The battle for the top of the ACC takes place on Wednesday night when the number 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils travel to take on former top ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Blue Devils have racked up 10 straight wins including a perfect 5-0 in the conference. The Blue Devils roll into the contest off one of their biggest blowouts of the season as they trampled the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday 85-44. Wake Forest on the other hand has not played in a week since their upset loss to Virginia Tech last Wednesday night 78-71. The loss knocked the Demon Deacons off the number 1 ranking and they will make an effort to get back to the top by defeated #1 Duke. The Blue Devils are 1.5 point favorites at Wake Forest tonight.
The Blue Devils have been on a roll since their only loss to Michigan earlier this year. Junior Gerald Henderson has filled the shoes of the playmaker the Blue Devils have needed so desperately. Kyle Singler leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game, but Henderson is averaging 21 points per game over the last 5 outings and really giving Duke the boost they need. The Blue Devils average 80.5 points as a team this season which is good enough for a top 15 ranking across the country.
However, Duke real strength may not lie in their offensive weapons but rather in their defensive play. The Blue Devils lead the ACC in scoring defense holding opponents to a mere 59.5 points per game. This terrific defense held popular teams likes Virginia Tech and Maryland both to 44 points which was both teams lowest total by far this season. The Blue Devils will have a tough challenge in slowing down a fast paced Wake Forest offense. If the Blue Devils can keep the Wake Forest scoring down and guard Jeff Teague from having a career day, it will better than chances tremendously as composed to a scoring shootout.
Wake Forest had everything going right a little over a week ago. The Demon Deacons had a perfect 16-0 record and seemed to have the control over the ACC until they took a big stumble against Virginia Tech. The Demon Deacons have had a week to rest up and show the nation that they belong with America’s best. The Demon Deacons are most likely the best shooting team in the ACC considering they lead the conference by shooting a strong 50.5% from the floor as a team. Wake Forest also leads the ACC in field goal percentage against on the defensive side holding teams to a low 36.8% from the floor as well. You can bet Wake Forest +1.5 at BookMaker.
The Demon Deacons are the only team outside of North Carolina to be ranked in the top 10 in scoring, field goal percentage, and rebounds. Actually the Demon Deacons rank in the top 6 in the nation in all of those categories. Sophomore guard Jeff Teague leads the Wake Forest attack with the 2nd most points in the ACC at 21 per game. Teague is averaging 28 points per game in his last 5 outings and he will have to be a big factor on Wednesday night against a tough Duke defense. Wake Forest will need to spread the Duke defense out and attack the one-on-one scenarios and hope for a higher scoring game. If this one turns into a shootout, there is not any better team in the nation at scoring quickly than the Demon Deacons.
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