No. 1 Duke vs. NC State CBB Odds, Predictions, Picks for Monday, March 2: Blue Devils Roll on the Road

Duke enters tonight’s game at rival NC State as the top-ranked college basketball team in America. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Blue Devils (27-2 SU, 17-12 ATS) just crushed No. 11 Virginia 77-51 on Saturday. The Wolfpack (19-10 SU, 15-13-1 ATS) carries a two-game losing streak into tonight’s tilt after a head-scratching loss to Notre Dame, one of the worst teams in the ACC. Prior to that, Virginia routed NC State 90-61.

DraftKings is dealing Duke as a 9.5-point road favorite with a total of 148.5 as of publication. DK patrons are all over the chalk with 84% of spread handle and 79% of tickets on the Blue Devils.

Best Bet Duke vs. NC State: Against the Spread

This is Duke’s penultimate regular-season game before its finale against North Carolina on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The potential look-ahead spot becomes more real given that UNC dealt Duke one of its two losses this season.

NC State’s perimeter defense is a glaring weakness heading into this matchup. The Wolfpack allows opponents to convert 34.7% of their 3-point attempts, ranking No. 222 nationally. Look for Duke to exploit this with kick-out passes to Isaiah Evans, who leads the team with 74 3-pointers this season. He hits at a 36.3% clip from behind the arc. Evans buried five treys his last time out against Virginia.

Duke, which has the top-ranked defense in the country per KenPom, can clinch the ACC regular season title outright by winning its last two games. Cameron Boozer (team-leading 22.5 ppg, 10 rpg, and 4 apg) is on the verge of winning the Wooden Award, and the freshman forward is a big reason why Duke is among the betting favorites to win the national title.

As much as NC State needs a win to get off the tournament bubble, it’s difficult to see the ‘Pack keeping pace with the Blue Devils tonight given their recent struggles.

Pick: Duke -9.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

Best Player Prop for Duke Blue Devils

Isaiah Evans OVER 15.5 Points (-102 at FanDuel)

For all the reasons mentioned above, Evans has the best matchup to exploit from long range. He’s eclipsed this number in four of his last six games, and the matchup makes him a solid play tonight.

FanDuel is also offering +198 odds on Evans to have four 3-pointers. That’s also worth a sprinkle.

Best Player Prop for NC State Wolfpack

Ven-Allen Lubin OVER 6.5 Rebounds (-115 at FanDuel)

Ven-Allen Lubin leads NC State with 7.1 rebounds per game. He’s got a tall task tonight in containing Boozer on the inside, but he should be in position to haul down boards on both sides of the floor.

Here’s a look at Lubin’s recent numbers:

• 10 rebounds vs. Notre Dame
• 7 rebounds vs. Virginia
• 6 rebounds vs. North Carolina*
• 9 rebounds vs. Miami

*Lubin came up just shy against his former teammates from North Carolina, but NC State won going away, 82-58.