.jpg "Duke-at-Boston-College-(ESPN)")
No team looks better than the Duke Blue Devils through the first month of the college basketball season. Duke is the clear No. 1 team in the country and has yet to lose. The Blue Devils are 11-0 on the season and have knocked off other contenders like Michigan State, Florida, and Texas. Now, Duke is set to start ACC play right before finals week. The Blue Devils will head on the road for their first conference game of the season when they take on the Boston College Eagles
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 9, 2017, at 12 p.m. ET at Silvio Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Boston College is not off to a great start this season. The Eagles are the only ACC team not to have made the NCAA Tournament this decade and that streak looks like it is going to continue. The Eagles have been an underdog in every game with a line this season and lost to Texas Tech, Providence, and Nebraska this season. They are 5-3 with the lone win against the betting line coming against a 4-4 La Salle team. Under is 3-1 in Eagles’ games this season.
Duke has been hammering teams all season and had one of its best games in school history against St. Francis on Tuesday. The Blue Devils scored 71 points in the first half and ended up romping over the Red Flash 124-67. They easily covered the spread and are now 6-2 ATS. This is the best offensive team in the nation when you control for tempo and strength of schedule and all eight of their lined games have gone over the total.
Key Injury
Unfortunately, things have gone from bad to worse for the Eagles. Boston College got word on Wednesday that Deontae Hawkins would be out for the season with a knee injury.
It’s a pretty big blow for the Eagles. He was their third-leading scorer and was the team’s primary presence in the paint. Hawkins was averaging over nine rebounds per game and was coming off of three straight double-doubles when the injury occurred.
Hawkins may or may not return next year depending on what the NCAA decides. He is a senior and should be eligible for a medical redshirt, but did transfer into BC from Illinois State this season. Regardless, it’s a tough blow to lose a key contributor.
Key Stat
Duke’s offense has been phenomenal this season and it is going to be tough for Boston College to stop a unit with so many options. The Blue Devils are averaging 94 points per game and have yet to be held under 78 points. That number is absurd considering the talented defenses they have played.
Marvin Bagley III has lived up to the hype as a freshman. He is leading the team in scoring with 22 PPG and is pulling down 11 RPG as well. Unlike most freshmen, he is very efficient too. Bagley has hit 61.5 percent of his field goals and has an inside-outside game that is difficult to defend against.
Another freshman having a great season is Wendell Carter Jr. Carter is third on the team in scoring, but is just as efficient from the floor and is the team’s shot blocker too. He already has 21 blocks this season and makes opposing players who drive to the paint pay.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Duke will be a double-digit road favorite in this one and the spread might end up being upwards of 20 considering how it has played so far. This will be the last game for the Blue Devils for a week and a half and I expect them to make it count. Go ahead and be a square and back the chalk here.
College Basketball Odds: Duke 89, Boston College 62
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