Duke Blue Devils vs Kansas State Wildcats
Tuesday, 11/23/10, 10:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Duke -6
Current Betting Line: Duke -5.5
Opening Total: 155
Current Total: 155
Duke certainly knows it will be going against a partisan crowd in the opponent’s favor on Tuesday night after picking up an 82-77 victory over Marquette. “I thought the best seven minutes of the game were from the 10-minute mark to the three-minute mark for us,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “There was a lot of game pressure. The game got tied. I thought out kids responded beautifully to that type of pressure.” The Blue Devils will now look to open the season 5-0 for the 19th time under Coach K and they have won 14 consecutive games. Even more impressive is the squad’s 26-game winning streak in November and 106-10 all-time record in the month under Krzyzewski’s watch. Duke is 5-1 ATS in its last six meetings with the Big 12 conference and is listed as a single-digit favorite on the college basketball lines page.
The Blue Devils will not be intimidated by this neutral court environment, winning 14 straight games on a neutral floor. Coach K also brings in a 19-11 record when playing a game with both teams ranked in the top five. The team has won three straight such matchups. Few teams are going to be able to contain this team offensively during the 2010-11 campaign, especially considering its the only offense in the ACC that has six double-figure scorers. Highlighting this balance is the fact that the team has had a different leading scorer in all four games this year.
Kansas State picked up a lopsided 81-64 victory over No. 22 Gonzaga in the semifinals of the CBE Classic and has the luxury of playing at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, a venue that is just a two-hour drive away from Manhattan. “It’s a great opportunity even though it’s early in the season,” guard Rodney McGruder said. “This is basically a home game for us, we have a lot of our fans here. It will be a great experience.” The team has posted a 6-2 all-time mark at the Sprint Center and has lived up to being favorites to win the Big 12 Conference this year. Kansas State is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 neutral site games.
The Wildcats have plenty of expectations to live up to and head coach Frank Martin is certainly aware of the possible distractions it may cause during the season. “All that’s great and dandy and it makes for news in the preseason,” he commented. “But the reality is that when we play 16 games against Big 12 opponents, I wish they told their teams, ‘Hey, they’re better than us. Don’t play as hard.” Guard Jacob Pullen must have a special game to pull off the upset tonight, as he’s scored in double figures in 37 consecutive games.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Wildcats are 0-2-2 ATS in their last four neutral site games as an underdog, while the Blue Devils are 5-2 ATS in their last seven such games as a favorite.
It’s a great week for hardcourt action and the college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports are ready to deliver winning selections each and every day!
