Times are not good for basketball in the Steel City. The Pittsburgh Panthers have bottomed out since Jamie Dixon left two years ago. Kevin Stallings has not been the answer and has feuded with everyone during the team’s struggles. Pittsburgh has been unable to win a game in conference play and will be big underdogs for its next game too. The Duke Blue Devils are coming to town and looking to avenge a loss to NC State.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Wednesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh has looked awful thus far in ACC play and has been widely panned as the worst team in the conference. The Panthers weren’t competitive in any of their games against conference opponents, losing to Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Miami by double digits. If it’s any indication as to what oddsmakers think of the team, it was even a home underdog against Towson three weeks ago.
Under has been a great bet in Panthers games this season. Pitt’s offense has been abysmal, but the defense has still held its ground, meaning that the team is playing a ton of low-scoring games. Under is 9-2 in Pitt games on the year.
Perhaps Duke should just stop playing road games. This weekend the Blue Devils laid an egg in another conference road game, losing to NC State by 11 as a double-digit favorite. It was the second time in a month’s span that Duke lost to a lightly regarded conference team on the road. In early December, the Blue Devils lost as a 15-point favorite against Boston College.
The one good bet in Duke games this season has been the over. This team probably has the best collection of talent in the country and it shows on the offensive end. Over is 12-1 in Duke games on the year.
Player to Watch
Marvin Bagley III has not been the problem for the Blue Devils. The sensational freshman has been on fire in recent weeks. He torched both FSU and NC State in Duke’s last two games, hitting over 75 percent of his field goals in each game. He went for 32 against FSU and 31 against NC State and has proven to be a force on the glass too. Bagley snared 21 rebounds against FSU and notched a double-double with 10 boards against NC State.
Bagley has even ratcheted up his game on the defensive side. Against the Wolfpack, he swatted away four shots and was a scary defensive presence in the low post.
There are two areas of his game he needs to work on though. In three ACC games, he has 12 turnovers, and that high of a number is just unacceptable for a player of his talent. Additionally, he is sinking a scant 63 percent of his free throws.
Key Stat
Pittsburgh has not had much of an offense under Stallings. The Panthers are averaging 57 PPG against ACC opponents, an abysmal number considering the number of high-powered offenses in the conference.
The Panthers have been relying on Jared Wilson-Frame and Parker Stewart to provide offense, but neither one is a particularly good shooter. Both players are sinking less than 40 percent of their field goals despite playing mostly non-conference minnows to this point.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Duke is going to want to make a statement that it can win a road game. The Blue Devils are being criticized by many for their two bad road losses, and Coach K will let the team know that they need to focus in practice this week. Look for Duke to crush Pittsburgh in this one.
College Basketball Odds: Duke 91, Pittsburgh 67
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