Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Picks, Predictions, Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

7 minute read

Nov. 30, 2021

Dan Dobish
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

The top-rated Duke Blue Devils (7-0) take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-2) at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio as the Big Ten/ACC Challenge continues Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN.

Score Prediction

Duke 87, Ohio State 73

Best Bets

Duke -165 ML

Duke -3.5 (-110)

Over 147.5 (-110)

Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Predictions

The top-ranked Blue Devils hit the road for Columbus, and this number is shockingly low. Duke has proven it is championship-caliber, taking down Kentucky on a neutral court back on Nov. 9 in New York City by a 79-71 count. After a handful of tune-up games against some lower-level teams at Cameron Indoor Stadium in front of the Crazies, the Blue Devils faced Gonzaga in Las Vegas, and pushed past the Bulldogs 84-81 as 8.5-point underdogs as the OVER connected.

The combination of Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore Jr. were each outstanding, and Mark Williams stepped up his game, too. Banchero posted a team-high 21 points against Gonzaga while grabbing five board, three triples, two assists and a steal in his 30 minutes, while WMJ scooped up 20 points while pulling down six boards with six assists and four steals. And Williams was a very efficient 8-for-9 to finish with 17 points and nine rebounds, and he swatted five shots to more than handle himself against the Gonzaga bigs.

It's been a rough ride for Ohio State so far. They opened with a narrow 67-66 win over Akron, winning with a tip at 0.5 seconds left in regulation, nearly losing as a 16.5-point favorite in the opener. They struggled with Niagara, lost at Xavier and they were edged by Florida 71-68 last time out on Nov. 24. The one thing that's consistent for the Buckeyes is on totals, hitting the OVER in five consecutive outings.

Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds

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Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Resources

• Matchup: ACC vs. Big 10
• Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
• Venue: Value City Arena
• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• TV-Time: ESPN - 9:30 p.m. ET

• Injury Report
• Wooden Award Odds
• Conference Futures Market
• Power Rankings

Duke Blue Devils Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 7-0
• ATS: 3-2-2
• O/U: 3-3-1

Duke hasn't been great against the number, going just 3-2-2 ATS, although they covered in the major games. They were 2.5-point favorites against Kentucky in a neutral-site game Nov. 9 as the OVER hit, and they were 8.5-point underdogs against Gonzaga in a neutral-site game Nov. 26 as the OVER connected in an 84-81 win last time out. The non-covers came in a sluggish game against Campbell, and they misfired in an 88-55 win over Lafayette, failing to cover a 33.5-point number by a half-point. And apparently Duke being favored by 26 is the kiss of death, as they pushed in each of the two games laying 13 buckets against Army and The Citadel.

The Blue Devils are 5-2-2 ATS in the past nine games overall, while going 7-3-2 ATS in the past 12 as a favorite. This will be Duke's first true road game, and they haven't fared well against the number in the past, going 5-11 ATS in the past 16 on the road. They're also 4-10 ATS in the past 14 road games against teams with a winning home mark. However, we haven't seen this Duke team away from home yet, but we have seen Ohio State at home, and the results haven't been terribly impressive.

Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 4-2
• ATS: 2-4
• O/U: 5-1

The Buckeyes have really struggled at times. Ohio State probably should've lost to Akron, then they barely scraped by Niagara as 19.5-point favorites, winning by 10. Ohio State's most complete showing was an 89-58 pounding against Bowling Green, but that's not exactly something to pound your chest about. In its only road game, the Buckeyes were bested 71-65 to fail as 2.5-point favorites at Xavier before edging a good Seton Hall team in Fort Myers, Fla. in a neutral-site tournament game. They failed as 2.5-point underdog against Florida, losing by three. The Buckeyes have allowed 71 or more points in three straight outings, and the OVER is 5-0 in the past five games.

Ohio State has cashed just once in the past eight games at home, and they're just 2-5 ATS in the past seven games overall. They're also a dismal 1-5 ATS in the past six games following a straight-up loss, and this one is setting up for that trend to continue. A visit from top-ranked Duke is about the last thing this Ohio State team needs.

Top-ranked Duke has already ticked off wins and covers vs. Kentucky and Gonzaga this season. (AP)

Inside the Stats - Duke Blue Devils

• Record: 7-0
• VI Ranking: 1
• PS/G: 85.6
• PA/G: 64.6
• ORtg: 37.4
• DRtg: 31.7

Inside the Stats - Ohio State Buckeyes

• Record: 4-2
• VI Ranking:
• PS/G: 75.3
• PA/G: 69.3
• ORtg: 32.8
• DRtg: 32.0

Key Players to Watch

• DUKE: Paolo Banchero - F (18.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 SPG)
• DUKE: Wendell Moore Jr. - F (17.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.7 SPG)
• OHST: E.J. Liddell - F (22.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.8 BPG, 2.2 APG)
• OHST: Kyle Young - F (9.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG)

Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Conclusion

It's hard to imagine who is going to slow down the bigs of Banchero, Moore Jr. and Williams. Even in the rout of Bowling Green, the Buckeyes struggled to outrebound the opposition. They had a 37-28 rebound edge against the lowly Falcons. Liddell is fine cleaning the glass, but the Buckeyes don't have a lot of bigs to match up with the tremendous frontcourt trio of the Blue Devils. Ohio State is going to get pounded in the paint, and better hope someone steps up in the backcourt.

I cannot believe that this line isn't at least six or seven. Ohio State has Liddell, and maybe Zed Key, to somewhat slow down Banchero, Moore Jr. and Williams. But if the Buckeyes get into foul trouble, this one could get away from them in a hurry. There just aren't a lot of scenarios where it is easy to see Ohio State pulling off the upset, but there are plenty of scenarios to see Duke routing the Buckeyes and easily covering this number and then some.

Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Trends

• Duke is 5-2-2 ATS in the past nine games overall.
• Duke is 7-3-2 ATS in the past 12 games as a favorite.
• Duke is 5-11 ATS in the past 16 road games.
• Ohio State is 1-7 ATS in the past eight home games.
• Ohio State is 2-5 ATS in the past seven games overall.
• The OVER is 4-1 in the past five road games for Duke.
• The OVER is 5-0 in the past five games for Ohio State.
• The OVER is 8-1 in the past nine games for Ohio State as an underdog.

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