About 30 miles separate Duke and Wake Forest, but the top-ranked Blue Devils are going off as 21-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. Wake Forest odds for their 7 p.m. ET tip on Tuesday. The over-under for total points scored is 158. Loaded with NBA prospects, the Blue Devils (12-1, 1-0 ACC) have the decisive talent edge in this matchup, but with must-see games against Florida State and Virginia around the corner, will they have enough focus to cover the spread? Before locking in any college basketball picks of your own, be sure to see the top Duke vs. Wake Forest picks and predictions from SportsLine's proven computer model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned over $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. And it enters Week 10 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a strong 36-21 run on its top-rated picks against the spread. Anybody who has been following it is way up.
Now, the model has dialed in on Duke vs. Wake Forest. We can tell you it is leaning to the under, and it also has an extremely strong pick against the spread that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. That one is only available at SportsLine.
The model has taken Duke's NBA-ready roster into account. Many pundits have forwards RJ Barrett (22.9 points per game) and Zion Williamson (20.2) going 1-2 in mock drafts.
Williamson causes physical mismatches. He's averaging close to a double-double and has been a terror on both ends, regularly putting up 20 points nights and defending at a high level. Add in freshman Cam Reddish, yet another possible lottery pick, and the Blue Devils have a front court that has the ability to run teams out of the gym.
But even all that talent doesn't guarantee that the Blue Devils will be able to cover the Duke vs. Wake Forest spread that opened at 20.5 and has jumped half a point since then.
The Demon Deacons (7-6, 0-1 ACC) haven't gotten off to the start they were hoping for this season, but they haven't lost any games by more than 20 points all season, and that includes a road trip to No. 3 Tennessee where they covered.
While Duke is dominant inside, Wake Forest counters with the experienced guard play of Brandon Childress, a junior who plays almost 37 minutes per game and averages 17.3 points. He's a threat from beyond the arc (46.7 percent) and can also facilitate the offense (4.2 assists per game).
Who wins Duke vs. Wake Forest? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over half of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to get the strong against-the-spread pick, all from the advanced model that is up more than $5,200 on its college basketball picks the past two years, and find out.