ACC Conference Rundown Betting Preview
Duke, the lone ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, has nearly a week between games before Saturday’s visit to Chapel Hill. The game marks the final trip to the Dean E. Smith Center for Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Some of his most memorable moments as Duke’s head coach have come at the expense of North Carolina.
It wasn’t too long ago that Florida State was sitting atop the ACC standings. Now, the Seminoles are dealing with injuries to key players as they look to stay within range of co-leaders Duke and Miami.
Only four teams in the ACC have winning road records, so how teams fare away from home could ultimately determine the pecking order in the conference.
Game of the Week
Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels
- Game: Duke Blue Devils (18-3) at North Carolina Tar Heels (16-6)
- Location: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NV
- Day/Time/TV: Saturday, Feb. 5th, 6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
The players change and, once in a while, so do the coaches. Regardless, it is always an event when Duke and North Carolina hit the court.
North Carolina is in a period of adjustment under first-year coach Hubert Davis, but the Tar Heels are only one-half game out of first place in the ACC. No. 9 Duke, in the final season of Mike Krzyzewski’s iconic coaching career, is tied for first place with Miami.
Duke freshman Paolo Banchero has been as good as advertised, averaging 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. With his scoring and rebounding numbers even better on the road. Banchero has three double-doubles in his last five games. There was a 21-point effort in a win over Notre Dame Monday as the Blue Devils handed the Fighting Irish their first home loss of the season.
North Carolina has scored at least 90 points in three of its last five games. Junior Armando Bacot has 11 double-doubles in his last 12 games. He had 19 points and 22 rebounds as North Carolina opened the month with Tuesday’s overtime win against Louisville.
The last four games in the series have gone over the total.
Both Duke (18-3, 8-2 ACC) and North Carolina (16-6, 8-3 ACC) are on four-game winning streaks entering Saturday’s contest.
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown, with some information and trends to consider for those who bet online.
Boston College Eagles
Boston College (9-12, 4-7) is coming off a 67-55 loss to Virginia, falling by 12 while being outscored by 14 at the foul line. The Eagles face Syracuse in two of the next four games. Boston College has dropped the last six games to the Orange, though the Eagles did cover in the last meeting.
Clemson Tigers
Clemson’s last two wins against Florida State came in the Tigers’ last two series home games, a 10-point margin and a one-point nailbiter.
The Tigers (11-9, 3-6) snapped a three-game losing streak to Georgia Tech in the last meeting. Now, they go for consecutive wins against the Jackets when the teams meet Saturday afternoon. Four of the last six games in the series have gone under the total set by the Las Vegas odds.
PJ Hall is averaging 15.1 points in 11 home games.
Duke Blue Devils
After not playing for nearly a week, Duke returns to the court against North Carolina. Then, it’s three of the next four games at home, where the Blue Devils are 13-1. The UNC game begins a stretch of four games in eight days.
Duke is on a four-game winning streak, each of the games finishing under the total.
Florida State Seminoles
Florida State (13-7, 6-4) has won four of the last six games against Clemson heading into Wednesday’s matchup. Five of the last six games in the series finished over the total.
The Seminoles have won the last seven games when hosting Wake Forest. They will look to make it eight in a row Saturday at Noon. Overall. Florida State has won nine of the last 11 overall against Wake Forest.
Florida State has dropped two in a row, now falling to sixth place in the conference. The Seminoles’ third-leading scorer, Malik Osborne, is out for the season, while top scorer Caleb Mills played just three minutes in the last game.
Leonard Hamilton says that Malik Osborne is having surgery on Thursday.
Says he’s hopeful FSU will have Caleb Mills and RayQuan Evans back for Wednesday’s game at Clemson.
— Curt Weiler (@CurtMWeiler) February 1, 2022
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech has won the last two games against Virginia Tech after the Hokies had won six in a row. Four of the last six games in the series have gone under the total.
The Yellow Jackets (9-11, 2-7) are 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings with Virginia Tech
Georgia Tech has won three of the last four games against Clemson, covering in each of the four.
Louisville Cardinals
Louisville’s series with Syracuse has been a bizarre one, especially lately. Six of the teams’ last eight meetings have been decided by at least 10 points, with both teams posting 20-point victories during that stretch.
Louisville (11-11, 5-7) was without leading scorer/rebounder Malik Williams (suspended) in a loss to the Tar Heels.
Miami Hurricanes
Miami split the last six games when hosting Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish winning, 73-59, in Coral Gables as three-point underdogs in 2021. Going into Wednesday night’s Florida get-together, five of the last seven games in the series have finished under the total.
The Hurricanes (16-5, 8-2) last won against Virginia in 2017 as 7½-point road underdogs, according to the college basketball spreads.
Kameron McGusty is averaging 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists over his last four games for the Hurricanes, who are tied with Duke atop the standings.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina is 12-0 at home this season and the Tar Heels play three of the next four games at Chapel Hill.
Sophomore R.J. Davis has 35 points, seven 3-pointers, seven rebounds, and nine assists in the last two games.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
North Carolina State (10-12, 3-8) has split its last two home meetings against Syracuse, with the Orange winning, 77-68, in 2021. The Wolfpack will look to get back in the win column when the teams meet Wednesday night.
The Wolfpack won four in a row against Notre Dame before falling to the Fighting Irish Jan. 26th. Dating back to 2005, the winner in the last 11 North Dame-North Carolina State games also covered against the spread. the teams oppose one another Saturday afternoon in Raleigh.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame travels to play Miami Wednesday looking for a fourth win in a row against the Hurricanes. The Fighting Irish covered in each of the previous three games, winning by 16, 14 and 10 points.
The Fighting Irish (14-7, 7-3) try for the season sweep against North Carolina State Saturday after a 73-65 home win in late January. Four of the last five games in the series have gone under the total.
Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pittsburgh-Wake Forest series has quietly become one of the most competitive in the ACC. Resuming Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, eight of the last nine games have been determined by single digits, including six by six point or less. Three of the last five games between the teams have finished over the total.
The Panthers’ win in 2021 snapped a five-game losing streak to Virginia Tech going into Saturday’s showdown.
Pittsburgh (8-13, 3-7) is 0-6 on the road this season.
Syracuse Orange
The Orange (10-11, 4-6) head to North Carolina State looking for its fourth consecutive victory in the series. Syracuse has covered in each of the last two games against the Wolfpack. Six of the last eight games in the series have gone over the total, though three of the last four played in Raleigh have been ‘under’ outcomes.
Five of the last six games between Syracuse and Louisville have gone over the total. The last time Syracuse hosted Louisville, it was a 20-point win by the Orange. The teams next meet Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.
Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia (13-9, 7-5) will look for its fifth win in a row against Miami when the teams play Saturday late afternoon. The last five games in the series have gone under the total, with Virginia 4-1 against the spread in those games.
Kaden Shedrick came off the bench with 13 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Boston College.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The last 13 games between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech decided by less than 10 points have been won by the Hokies.
Virginia Tech (11-10, 3-7) is 5-1 in the last six games against Pittsburgh, including three wins by six points or less. Three of the last four games in the series have gone over the total.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest had defeated Pittsburgh four times in a row (2017-20), although each game was decided by six points or less. The Panthers won two of the last three games in the series. Wake is the host Wednesday nights.
The Demon Deacons (17-5, 7-4) topped Florida State by 22 points Jan. 4th to end a four-game losing streak against the Seminoles. Wake Forest has covered in three of the last four games against Florida State. The ‘Noles are the home team Saturday afternoon.
