ACC Tournament Odds: Duke-Miami prediction, pick, how to watch

An epic ACC showdown in the tournament semifinal will take place on this Friday evening as the Duke Blue Devils prepare to battle things out with the Miami Hurricanes. Join us for our ACC Tournament odds series where our Duke-Miami prediction and pick will be revealed.

Fresh off of a convincing 96-69 victory over conference foe Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils are in the midst of a fight to try and capture a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament by continuing to win in the ACC Tournament. Now only two wins away from taking home the conference championship hardware, first-year head coach Jon Scheyer has to be absolutely pleased with how his team has played up to this point.

Believe it or not, Miami was also one of the favorites to win the ACC Tournament this week in Greensboro, as the Hurricanes entered the competition playing as the number-one overall seed after grinding out the regular season to become ACC champs. Now, the ‘Canes will attempt to play a much cleaner game than the one they partook in versus Wake Forest in the quarterfinals as it was Miami that escaped with a 74-72 win.

Here are the Duke-Miami college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

ACC Tournament Odds: Duke-Miami Odds

Duke: -2.5 (-112)

Miami: +2.5 (-108)

Over: 144.5 (-115)

Under: 144.5 (-105)

How To Watch Duke vs. Miami

TV: ESPN2

Stream: WatchESPN

Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Duke Could Cover The Spread

Riding high on a seven-game winning streak, it appears that the Blue Devils are scalding hot at just the perfect time. Scoring a whopping 96 points against Pitt after Duke shot a blistering 62% from the field, the Blue Devils could do no wrong in yesterday's thumping. Fast forward not even 24 hours later, and Duke is keeping their fingers crossed that they can shoot with that much efficiency yet again.

Of course, shooting that high of a clip will be much more difficult against a salty defense like Miami, but the Blue Devils could end up covering the spread if they share the wealth around on offense like they did yesterday. In fact, it was Duke that supplemented their red-hot shooting prowess with a tournament record 27 assists as well. Alas, making that extra pass and avoiding playing hero ball will do wonders for Duke's chances to cover and advance to the ACC Tournament Final on Saturday.

Most importantly, Duke happened to have the luxury of resting a hefty bulk of their key contributions in the blowout win on Thursday. Because of this, there is no question that the Blue Devils will have an advantage over the Hurricanes when both teams will have to dig in and not let their fatigue consume them down the stretch. The last time Duke went up against Miami, they were destroyed by the ‘Canes 81-59 when the Blue Devils were as careless as ever with a whopping 21 turnovers throughout.

Why Miami Could Cover The Spread

Similarly to Duke, Miami also went on a seven-game winning streak not too long ago before dropping a contest to Florida State by a mere point at home, but the gut-wrenching loss to their rivals was the only loss in their last ten games played. Simply put, it is only fitting that Miami and Duke will be squaring off in this heavyweight showdown where alternating blows will most likely take place as the game progresses into its final stages.

In order for Miami to cover the spread, a better shooting effort from beyond the arc may be needed. As a whole, the Hurricanes are one of the top three-point-shooting teams that this conference has to offer, but they shot fairly below average from downtown by connecting on only 31% of their trey attempts against Wake Forest. Clearly, getting into a rhythm from distance right from the get-go could do wonders for this squad's confidence if this contest turns into a shootout.

Above all else, Miami's biggest strength comes in the form of the experience that exists on this roster. While several of Miami's finishes have been tight of late, the Hurricanes have been in these spots many times, as their starting lineup consists of multiple seniors that will keep a level head when things don't go their way. Not to mention, but keep in mind that Miami is also 12-2 all-time when facing a lower seed in the tournament.

Final Duke-Miami Prediction & Pick

Certainly, this extravagant matchup has the makings to be an all-time classic, but it will end up being the Duke Blue Devils and their winning ways of late that will overwhelm the Hurricanes by the time the final horn sounds.

Final Duke-Miami Prediction & Pick: Duke -2.5 (-112)