The Duke Blue Devils (11-2) travel to face off against the SMU Mustangs (11-2) on Saturday, January 4th. This game will be played at Moody Coliseum in Dallas and televised on CW. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 2:15 ET.

Duke Blue Devils vs SMU Mustangs

The Blue Devils Are Coming Off A Win

Duke improved to 11-2 on the season with an 88-65 win over Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Despite being -25.5 favorites, the Blue Devils didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game reached 153, surpassing the over/under line of 136.5.

After leading 37-27 at halftime, Duke scored 51 points in the second half while allowing 38 points. The Blue Devils’ offense was strong, but their defense allowed more points than expected.

The Mustangs Are Coming Off A Win

SMU Mustangs Recent Game/Games

SMU improved to 11-2 on the season with a 98-82 home win over Longwood on Sunday. The Mustangs were -18.5 favorites but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 180 exceeded the O/U line of 153.5.

Leading 45-43 at halftime, SMU pulled away in the 2nd half, scoring 53 points while holding Longwood to 39.

Blue Devils Offense Breakdown

Duke’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 88 points with a field goal percentage of 53.4%. They connected on 69% of their two-point attempts and hit 11 threes at a 37.9% rate. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 62.1%, and they were perfect from the free-throw line, going 15-for-15.

Cooper Flagg led the way with 24 points and 6 assists, shooting 64.3% from the field and 50% from three. Toibu Lawal added 19 points in 22 minutes, hitting 77.8% of his shots and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Duke finished with 19 assists and 10 offensive rebounds in the win.

Mustangs Offense Breakdown

The Mustangs put up 98 points in their latest game, shooting 62% from the field and hitting 50% of their threes. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 72%, and they connected on 83.9% of their free throws, going 26-for-31 from the line.

Boopie Miller led the way with 24 points and 7 assists, shooting 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Yohan Traore and Elijah Tucker each added 20 points, with Traore also grabbing 11 rebounds.

Blue Devils Team Defense

Even with Duke’s defense giving up 65 points, they allowed their opponent to shoot 53% from the field, including 69% on two-point attempts. The Blue Devils also struggled to contain the three-point line, where the other team hit 11 of 29 shots, good for 37%.

Duke sent their opponent to the free-throw line 15 times, and they converted every opportunity, shooting 100% from the stripe. The Blue Devils also gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Mustangs Team Defense

Despite Duke’s defensive struggles, they managed to hold their opponent to 65 points. The Blue Devils allowed a 53% shooting performance, with their opponent hitting 31 of 58 shots.

Inside the arc, Duke’s defense gave up 69% shooting, with their opponent making 20 of 29 two-point attempts. From three-point range, their opponent shot 37%, connecting on 11 of 29 tries. Duke also sent their opponent to the line 15 times, where they made all 15 free throws.

Blue Devils vs Mustangs Trends

• Through their last ten road games, Duke has an ATS record of just 8-2. However, their overall record was 8-2 while averaging 76 points per game.
• Through their last five home contests, the Mustangs offense has averaged 82 points per game while allowing an average of 78. SMU posted an overall record of 2-3 while going 2-3 ATS.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, SMU has an ATS mark of 3-7 while going 1-9 straight up.
• Duke has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.

Blue Devils vs Mustangs Prediction

The Mustangs come in as the underdog at +7.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 148.5 and our model has the Blue Devils and Mustangs finishing with a combined 144 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.