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The Pitt Panthers take on the Duke Blue Devils. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Pitt Duke prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Pitt vs Duke.
The Duke Blue Devils have to decide what kind of team they want to become this season. This journey has been a predictably rocky one under new coach Jon Scheyer, who replaced Duke icon Mike Krzyzewski as the Blue Devils' new head coach. Scheyer has been thrown into the fire, and he is learning on the job. His team doesn't play with the resolute confidence and swagger we saw for so many decades under Coach K. That's not a criticism of Scheyer. It is an unavoidable consequence and product of giving the keys to the program to a young coach with minimal experience in this role.
It will be fascinating to see how Duke handles this game. The Blue Devils had a very shaky road trip last week, but they did manage to squeak out a one-point win at Boston College over the weekend. They avoided a disastrous loss and held their poise just enough to prevail on the road. Will that win propel Duke to greater heights? Will the Blue Devils respond with renewed confidence and belief, or will that one-point escape in New England only reinforce how wobbly the Blue Devils have been in recent weeks? It's a great question, and it's why this game is so interesting.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Pitt-Duke College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Pitt-Duke Odds
Pitt Panthers: +8.5 (-102)
Duke Blue Devils: -8.5 (-120)
Over: 142.5 (-106)
Under: 142.5 (-114)
How To Watch Pitt vs. Duke
TV: ACC Network
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT
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Why Pitt Could Cover the Spread
The Duke Blue Devils have simply not played well over the past week, and they have not proved anything positive about their readiness to win the ACC championship this season. Duke got crushed by North Carolina State last week and then lost a 15-point lead before recovering to win by one at Boston College. Duke has scored ACC wins over Boston College twice and over Florida State once. That offers no indication of Duke's ability to compete against and defeat the ACC's best.
Pitt lost its first ACC game of the season this past Saturday in a close, contentious battle with Clemson. The Panthers are on track to make the NCAA Tournament. Coach Jeff Capel is the clear front-runner for ACC Coach of the Year. Pittsburgh has been able to snag victories over North Carolina, Virginia, and N.C. State. The Panthers are playing well and — it has to be said — are performing better than Duke is at the moment. The point spread is large, given how these teams have played in recent weeks.
Why Duke Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Devils survived Boston College on the road. Now they come home with more confidence and more trust in their abilities. This team might have been in a very bad place had it lost to BC, but it regrouped and gathered itself and managed to pull through. That should really relieve a lot of fears throughout the Duke roster. It should help the team relax and play its best basketball.
The other really important point to make here is that Pitt has played a lot of home games so far in this ACC season. The Panthers beat Virginia and North Carolina at home and played Clemson at home. Now the Panthers have to go on the road in the conference, and they figure to be challenged. It is not going to be nearly as easy for this Pitt team to play well in hostile environments such as Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Final Pitt-Duke Prediction & Pick
Home court probably will enable Duke to win, but the Blue Devils are not nine points better than Pitt. Take the Panthers to cover the spread.
Final Pitt-Duke Prediction & Pick: Pitt +8.5
