The Duke Blue Devils remain one of the nation’s top teams, but they’re not invincible as we saw with their last game, losing to Gonzaga. Of course, they’ve also got a pair of wins against top-10 teams and their Tuesday night opponent, the Indiana Hoosiers, come into their house unranked, looking for an unlikely upset.
Even after the loss to Gonzaga, Duke remains a top-3 team in the rankings and a loss to Arkansas earlier this month has helped to keep Indiana out of the top-25 rankings despite a 5-1 record. With both Duke and Indiana sitting at 5-1, one team will take on their second loss in this contest.
Can Duke rebound from their narrow loss to Gonzaga and get back on track, both beating the Hoosier and covering the spread? Or, will Indiana be able to play tougher than the spread would suggest and at least battle until the final minutes? Be sure to get in on the action as Indiana travels to take on Duke with the live betting opportunities available at BookMaker.eu.
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Indiana Hoosiers at Duke Blue Devils
Date and Time: Tuesday, November 27, 2018, 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Hoosiers at Blue Devils TV Coverage: ESPN
The Blue Devils were rolling through the early part of the season. They won their first five games, including blowing out Kentucky in the regular season opener and topping Auburn in what was more of a defensive games—something a bit different than the other games Duke has played so far.
While Duke has got some quality wins on its resume already, it’s coming off its first loss of the season, dropping to Gonzaga 87-89.
Tre Jones has a great game in the loss while Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett both topped 20 points as per the norm, but as a team, Duke struggled a bit shooting from the floor. The team has averaged a 48.2 field goal percentage in its first six games, but sank just 43.1-percen of its shots to Gonzaga, though the Blue Devils did shot well from three-point range in the loss.
What ultimately let Duke down in the loss was the defense. Duke out rebounded Gonzaga, but the Zags had nearly twice as many blocks and shot 52.3-percent from the floor and even better from beyond the arc.
Duke will have to do better against the outside shot on Tuesday though Indiana’s not exactly a sharp shooting team outside.
Back to Duke, the team’s put up impressive numbers even with their recent stumbled. They’re averaging 91.8 points.
While Jones is beginning to come around outside, this team dominates inside the paint. Barrett has 22.8 PPG, Williamson has 20.7 and Cam Reddish has 15.7. Williamson also has 9.5 RPG and has already notched 16 blocks.
On the other side of this matchup, Indiana centers on two players: freshman guard Romeo Langford and returning forward Juwan Morgan.
While Barrett and company are elite recruits, Langford is one of the best. He’s leading the team in scoring with 18.5 PPG and is shooting well, but has struggled from beyond the arc at just 26.1-percent. He’s still a solid combination from the outside with 5.8 RPG, a number of assists, and blocks. He’s an elite shooting guard.
Joining Langford inside at the point guard position is a combination of Rob Phinisee and Devonte Green, the two are solid players, but nowhere near as strong as Langford.
Inside, Morgan has 17.5 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Justin Smith is his companion inside and a solid complement, but this team goes through Morgan and Langford.
Speaking of the team, they’ve only lost one game, falling to Arkansas 72-73, but they should have won that game. Overall, this is a good team and a good offense. They struggle at times from beyond the arc and have had some issues on free throws. Those will need to be cleaned up in a tough matchup with Duke.
Live Betting
Duke is an incredibly tough team, particularly at home. They’re a perennial contender and consistently amongst the best of the best behind Coach K, but they’re usually so good as a result of a balanced team, good character guys and a willingness to give for the betterment of the team. The talent, of course, is always elite, too, but this year may be an exception.
The talent is as good as it’s ever been in Durham, but it’s a result of several freshman as opposed to a balanced team led by quality upperclassmen. As the season progresses, we’ll get a better feel of how that’ll impact this team come March. The youth involved here will also have an impact on how the team responds to its first defeat.
On the other side, Indiana has some quality young players, too, but a good crop of upperclassman to help provide a calming presence as the team takes on the Blue Devils. Look for Indiana to play well. They’re not as talented and should ultimately loss on the road, but don’t be surprised if the Hoosiers can keep this one close through the end of the second half.
Key Player
Romeo Langford is one of two superstars for the Hoosiers. The freshman has proven versatile and played well in his first six games as the team’s shooting guard.
One of the most hyped prospects in the nation, he helps fill out a backcourt that could give Indiana an edge in this game. While the Hoosiers have, as a team, struggled a bit shooting from three-point range, Langford, Phinisee, Aljami Durham, and Green have played well outside.
Inside the paint, the Blue Devils have the advantage. Juwan Morgan is great, but he and Justin Smith cannot matchup with Barrett, Williamson and Reddish.
Given Duke’s quality inside, that leaves Tre Jones as the most important player in this contest. The freshman have been overshadowed by his classmates on the inside, but Jones has been progressively getting better. He scored 17 in the loss against Gonzaga and represents the team’s best option outside. Overall, he’s fourth on the team in scoring with 9.7 PPG. The next most productive scorer outside is Alex O’Connell with four PPG. Jones is a strong shooting beyond the arc at 54.5-percent and is the team leader in assists, second in steals and is also—along with Barrett—on the court as much as anyone.
If he can continue to improve, he can become a force on the outside and help balance out the strong frontcourt.
Hoosiers at Blue Devils Live Betting
Look for Barrett, Williamson, Reddish and the gang to prove to be too much for the Hoosiers to handle. Langford and Morgan are quality players and should have a good game, but look for Indiana to come up short from beyond the arch where Duke will win this game.
You can count on the Blue Devils to be extra motivated coming off their first loss of the season. Indiana is a quality ball club and could keep this one closer than some think, particularly if either Green or Phinisee can step up and provide quality work from the point guard position to keep the Blue Devils on their toes. After all, this team did beat Marquette and play Arkansas tough. That said, Duke is a better team than both.
Count on superior outside shooting and cleaner basketball to lead to a Duke victory though look for Indiana to be in the game until late in the second half.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for Tuesday’s college basketball.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Duke 85, Indiana 76
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