The Duke Blue Devils are off to a fantastic start this season, as they are looking every bit the national championship contender the oddsmakers pegged them to be in the preseason. Duke will put its undefeated mark on the line next time out when it faces off against the California Golden Bears in the 2K Empire Classic. California is off to a nice start as well but has yet to see a team that is close to the quality of Duke and will be the significant underdog. The Blue Devils will aim to keep it rolling and make a push for the No. 1 national ranking in the country with an easy victory.
This college basketball regular season game between the Duke Blue Devils and California Golden Bears will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 21, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN3.
We'll have college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019-20 college basketball season.
Odds Analysis
Duke has a record of 4-0 on the season. The Blue Devils began the year with a two-point win against fellow college basketball giant Kansas and has since cruised against three inferior foes. Duke is excelling on both sides of the ball as it is hoping to build a resume that gets it a No. 1 seed in March Madness.
California would love to join the Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Bears are 3-0 to begin the season. They have victories over Pepperdine, UNLV in overtime and California Baptist but sticking close against Duke is an entirely different task.
Player to Watch
Tre Jones -- Duke lost a lot of big-time talent from a season ago, most notably Zion Wiliamson and R.J. Barrett. Jones was one of the rare stars to return to school and thus far he’s having a really impressive season.
The sophomore point guard is averaging 17.0 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest. Jones is shooting 48.1 percent from the field and is also playing some really good defense by swiping 1.8 steals per game. Jones decided to return to school to keep working on his game and has made some serious strides.
California will have its hands full keeping him in check in this showdown.
Key Stat
55.1. That’s the percentage California is shooting from the field this season. While that’s not going to stick all year, the Bears hope to keep hitting efficiently against Duke in order to make this a close game.
Guard Matt Bradley has done a nice job this season. He is averaging 55.9 percent from the field and scoring 21.3 points per game. Bradley is knocking down 52.9 percent of his three point shots and nearly 90 percent of his free throws, so Duke will look to force him into tougher shots.
Forward Andre Kelly has been another big help, scoring 11.0 points per game on 62.5 percent from the field. California has looked really good offensively to this point, but the Duke defense is at another level.
College Basketball Pick
While the Bears are off to a good start, Duke is a much stronger program and had a more talented team. The Blue Devils have seamlessly brought in some uber talented freshmen who are complementing Jones well. Duke is going to have the louder crowd in this neutral site affair and should eventually pull away for another early-season victory. Keep an eye on where the spread comes in, because California may be able to get a backdoor cover by hitting enough late shots to make the final score respectable.
College Basketball Pick: Duke Blue Devils 83, California Golden Bears 71
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