It’s been a great final season for Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K has been more laid back than ever before and will be able to share another regular-season game against his good friend in Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange.
The Duke Blue Devils are looking for the first seed in the ACC Tournament and are currently a game ahead of Notre Dame in the ACC. So basically, if Duke wins out, they’ll lock down the top seed in the ACC.
Here are our college basketball picks and predictions for Duke vs. Syracuse on Saturday, February 26.
Duke vs Syracuse odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Despite being on the road, the Blue Devils opened as 7.5-point favorites. Some outlets are now changing to Duke -7, however. The total, on the other hand, has shifted from 151.5 at opening to as low as 150.5 at a couple of outlets.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Duke vs Syracuse predictions
Predictions made on 2/25/2022 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Duke vs Syracuse game info
• Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
• Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
• Tip-off: 6:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Duke at Syracuse betting preview
Injuries
Duke: No injuries to report.
Syracuse: Jesse Edwards C (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Blue Devils are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss. Find more NCAA betting trends for Duke vs. Syracuse.
Duke vs Syracuse picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
As of right now, Duke has the potential to win the entire NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils have played so well on both ends of the court and could give Coach K one of the greatest exits in sports history.
Anyway, we’re still in the regular season, but I think you guys know where I’m going with this.
The Blue Devils are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55% while limiting turnovers to 15.4% on the season. On the glass, Duke is earning 31.7% offensive rebounds and should be able to get plenty against Syracuse’s zone.
Duke is shooting 36.8% from three and 54.8% from inside the arc, however, the Blue Devils aren’t getting to the line at a high rate this season.
Against Syracuse on the road, getting to the line might be even harder. Syracuse has done well limiting teams from the stripe. But other than that, the Orange have struggled on the defensive end. Teams are shooting a 50.4% effective field goal percentage while knocking down 33.3% from deep and 50.8% from inside the arc.
On the other hand, Syracuse has been elite on the offensive end. The Orange are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 52.4% while only turning the ball over 15.7% of the time.
The Orange will get plenty of attempts from the field and have hit 37.4% from deep and 50% from inside the arc. However, Syracuse is currently an average offensive rebounding team and, like Duke, probably won’t get to the line very often.
Duke has limited teams from getting to the foul line at one of the highest rates in college basketball. Teams are also shooting just 30.1% from three and 46% from inside the arc against the Blue Devils.
To me, the difference in this game is Duke’s ability to score at a consistent rate. Syracuse’s zone defense isn’t like it used to be. Duke can crack it easily and scored 79 points in the first meeting between the two. It was basically a blowout, with a final score of 79-59.
Duke’s defense can get stops but Syracuse’s can’t consistently.
Prediction: Duke -7 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
At home, I’d like to think Syracuse’s offense can do more damage and keep this game a little bit closer in the beginning.
After all, Syracuse has been very good on the offensive end this season and has a fast pace of play. Turnovers should be limited, and 3-point balls should be scored on both sides.
I’ll take the Over here.
Prediction: Under 150.5 (-110)
Best bet
The Duke Blue Devils are a championship-caliber team. Coach K has been getting them focused on both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, and they just keep getting better and better on both ends of the court.
And that won’t change against a poor Syracuse team that is about to finish the year around .500.
Pick: Duke -7 (-110)
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