Best Duke vs. Miami Betting Picks for Wednesday, Feb. 21
By Cem Yolbulan
This is a matchup between two opposites. While Duke is playing their best basketball of the season, having won four straight, and seven of their last eight, Miami is in free fall, having dropped their last four games. The No. 8-ranked Blue Devils will look to extend their winning streak against the Hurricanes, whose season is spiraling out of control.
To rub salt into the wound, Miami will likely be without two key contributors. Nijel Pack, perhaps the best shooter on the team, will miss Wednesday's game, while Matthew Cleveland, the second-best scorer on the team is questionable with an illness. This leaves Miami very short-handed and limits their ability to keep up with Duke's high-powered offense.
Duke vs. Miami Odds, Spread, and Total
Duke vs. Miami Best Bet and Pick
Miami is already one of the most porous defenses in the ACC. They rank 111th in the country in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency ranking. Now, they will potentially miss two of their three best offensive players, which lower their offensive ceiling as well.
Duke, on the other hand, has been scoring at will lately, most recently demonstrated by Jared McCain's 35-point explosion against Florida State on Saturday. They have too many offensive weapons that can go off on any given night.
Sophomore star Kyle Filipowski has an especially advantageous matchup against the Canes. The 7-footer will have a huge size mismatch going up against a team that only has one player over 6-foot-8 in their frontcourt rotation. If Filipowski manages to stay out of foul trouble and play extended minutes, he should be able to light the Miami defense up.
At this stage of the season, it's hard to see Duke making the mistake of dropping a game to short-handed Miami. They have hit their stride and will do everything they can to carry that momentum into March.
My pick: Duke -6.5
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.