Best Wake Forest vs. Duke Betting Picks for Monday, Feb. 12
By Jovan Alford
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will put their three-game winning streak on the line on Monday night when they travel to Durham, NC, to play the No. 9-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
Monday night marks the first meeting of two between the two ACC conference foes over the next 12 days. The Blue Devils have won four out of their last five conference games at home, which includes back-to-back double-digit wins over Boston College and Notre Dame.
As for the Demon Deacons, they are coming off a solid four-point win at home against North Carolina State over the weekend. Former Gonzaga transfer Hunter Sallis scored a game-high 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. Wake Forest had four of their five starters score in double figures.
Monday night’s game is pivotal for the Demon Deacons as this would be a quality resume win for the NCAA tournament. Below, we’ll break down this primetime ACC contest and provide our prediction using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Wake Forest vs. Duke Odds, Spread and Total
Wake Forest vs. Duke Betting Pick and Prediction
Monday night’s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium is the perfect matchup between two of the best offenses in the ACC this season. Wake Forest is ranked second in scoring (80.8 points per game), while Duke is ranked third in the conference (80.7).
The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons are ranked top-2 in field goal percentage (Duke – 48.1%, Wake – 47.8%) and top-3 in point differential. However, the Blue Devils are the better defensive team, which could loom large in Monday night’s contest.
Jon Scheyer’s crew is only giving up 67.6 points per game this season and 63 points per game over their last three home games. In their last three wins at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils held their opponents to 25.2% shooting from beyond the arc.
However, Duke fans should not expect that to happen tonight against Wake Forest, who are ranked second in three-point percentage (38%) and third in three-pointers made per game (8.6). Sallis, who leads the team in scoring, is one of the Demon Deacons’ better three-point shooters at 40.3%.
At the same time, the Blue Devils must also watch out for Andrew Carr and Cameron Hildreth, who are shooting 40.3% and 38.2%, respectively, from beyond the arc.
Duke didn’t shoot the ball well from three in their last win over Boston College, but they received balanced scoring throughout the starting lineup. Mark Mitchell led the charge for the Blue Devils with 17 points and seven rebounds, while freshman guard Jared McCain had a double-double consisting of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Demon Deacons might have the best player in tonight’s game in Sallis, but I think Duke’s defense and balanced scoring will help them win and cover the spread. The Blue Devils are 8-6 against the spread at home and 12-9-1 ATS as a favorite. Meanwhile, Wake Forest is 0-6 ATS as a road underdog this season.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change