Duke Basketball vs. Furman preview, live stream, odds, prediction

Duke basketball plays their campus game of the Phil Knight Invitational against the Furman Paladins on Monday night. Here’s how to stream it.

Duke came into the season with the No. 1 ranking in the country, a top recruiting class, and all the expectations in the world. Thus far, the Blue Devils (4-0) have lived up to the hype. They have beaten all comers and have not fallen into the trap of sleepwalking into an early season loss. Coach K’s ability to motivate his players against inferior opponents will be tested once again on Monday with the Furman Paladins in Cameron Indoor.

Grayson Allen has proven to be the senior leader Duke needed while surrounded by freshmen. He is playing a team-high 32 minutes per game and scoring 21.8 points per game. He is also shooting an astonishing 53 percent from three-point range.  Marvin Bagley III has been as good as advertised, scoring 18 points a game and grabbing 9.3 rebounds.

Furman (2-1) enters Cameron Indoor after a loss to Butler. They are led by senior guard Devin Sibley. The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging a career-high 19 points per game. The Paladins finished last season 23-12 after a run to the semifinals of the CIT. They were picked in the preseason to finish at the top of the Southern Conference this year.

Here’s how you can watch Monday’s Furman Paladins vs. Duke Blue Devils game:

Date: Monday, Nov. 20
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Durham, NC
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium
TV: ACC Network Extra
Live Stream: WatchESPN

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Duke is a 22-point favorite against the Paladins. That line seems about right. Butler beat Furman by 17. The Blue Devils are obviously better, but you can’t set a line much higher than 22. These two have the rare common opponent this early in the season, Elon. Duke beat the Phoenix by 29. Furman beat them by 9. Duke does not lose in Cameron to inferior teams. Furman also has the unfortunate luck to be playing the Blue Devils a game after Coach K did not like their effort. Expect a bloodbath from the jump.

Prediction:  Duke 90, Furman 65

As for what a Paladin is — a question I am sure you are asking yourself — Merriam-Webster defines “paladin” as “a trusted military leader (as for a medieval prince).” Now, you can say you at least learned one thing today.