The Duke Blue Devils open their 2025-26 season with a clash against the Texas Longhorns at the Dick Vitale Invitational on Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils are the No. 6-ranked team in the country and with freshman Cameron Boozer leading the charge, my Texas vs. Duke predictions expect them to roll the unranked Longhorns.
Here are my best free college basketball picks for this marquee matchup on November 4.
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Texas vs Duke prediction
Texas vs Duke best bet: Duke -9.5 (-110)
The Duke Blue Devils lost their biggest names from last year's Final Four team, with Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel, and Khaman Maluach all in the NBA.
That said, there are several returning rotation players who should thrive in bigger roles. That includes guard Caleb Foster, defensive stopper Maliq Brown, center Patrick Ngongba II, and sophomore Isaiah Evans, who had some big scoring games despite limited minutes.
Add them to the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, led by No. 1-ranked power forward Cameron Boozer and No. 4 point guard Cayden Boozer, and this school will be a title contender again. This is a talented squad that has depth, length, athleticism, positional versatility, and shooting.
I'm a lot less optimistic about the unranked Texas Longhorns, who went just 8-15 against high-major opponents last season while losing in the First Four.
Texas said goodbye to its top two scorers (including star SG Tre Johnson) as well as starting center Kadin Shedrick. Transfer Dailyn Swain will shoulder a big load, but the other transfers won't do much, and I don't see any of the incoming freshmen making an impact early.
Texas had a recent closed-door scrimmage against TCU that it lost 91-72. Meanwhile, Duke was able to build on-court chemistry in exhibition wins against UCF (96-71) and No. 17 Tennessee (83-76) in front of a sold-out crowd in Knoxville.
While this contest is at a neutral site, the fans in Charlotte should provide a home-court atmosphere for Duke. Back the Blue Devils to roll to a double-digit win tonight.
Texas vs Duke same-game parlay
The 2025 college basketball recruiting class was viewed as having three elite players: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer. Peterson and Dybantsa scored more than 20 points in their college debuts last night, and I expect the same from Boozer.
The 6-9, 250-pound power forward averaged 28.5 ppg and 17.5 rpg in two exhibition games. He'll torch a banged-up Texas frontcourt that is likely missing bigs Lassina Traore and Matas Vokietaitis.
Texas vs Duke SGP
- Duke -9.5
- Cameron Boozer Over 20.5 points
- Cameron Boozer Over 10.5 rebounds
Our beyond the arc SGP: Duke's Cameron goes crazy
Since I'm expecting Duke to cover a sizable spread and backing Boozer to eclipse his points total, it also makes sense to take the full game Over.
New head coach Sean Miller should get Texas playing at a faster pace than previous years, and Duke's best defensive player, Maliq Brown, might not be ready to return to the lineup after minor knee surgery.
Texas vs Duke SGP
- Duke -9.5
- Cameron Boozer Over 20.5 points
- Cameron Boozer Over 10.5 rebounds
- Over 153
Texas vs Duke odds
- Spread: Texas +9.5 | Duke -9.5
- Moneyline: Texas +350 | Duke -450
- Over/Under: Over 153 | Under 153
Texas vs Duke betting trend to know
The Blue Devils have covered the first half spread in 20 of their last 26 games (+13.10 Units / 44% ROI. Find more NCAAB betting trends for Texas vs. Duke.
How to watch Texas vs Duke
| Location | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC |
| Date | Tuesday, November 4, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 8:45 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Texas vs Duke key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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