Syracuse vs. Duke CBB Odds, Predictions, Picks for Monday, February 16

The Syracuse Orange meet the Duke Blue Devils in an ACC basketball tilt tonight. Tipoff from Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Syracuse (15-11 SU, 14-12 ATS) is riding a two-game winning streak with victories over SMU and Cal, respectively. Duke (23-2 SU, 13-12 ATS) is coming off a 67-54 win over Clemson, effectively bouncing back from its last-second loss to North Carolina.

DraftKings is dealing Duke as a massive 19.5-point favorite with a total of 142.5 as of publication. 60% of spread handle and 52% of tickets are on the Blue Devils.

Best Bet Syracuse vs. Duke: Against the Spread

Syracuse +19.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

This is simply too many points in our estimation. Syracuse started the month and remained competitive against North Carolina, covering as an 11.5-point road underdog. UNC then handed Duke its second loss of the season.

Duke hits for 82.2 points per game, and Syracuse averages 76.5 ppg. KenPom has Duke ranked 10th and Syracuse ranked 79th in offensive efficiency. That top-80 ranking comes among 365 teams across the country.

Donnie Freeman keys Syracuse’s offensive attack with 17.6 points. A leg injury caused him to miss nine games, but Freeman is back at full strength. He’s coming off a team-high 18 points in the win over SMU.

Anticipate tougher sledding tonight against a Duke frontcourt that features Cameron Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II. But if Freeman can score near his average point total, that should bode well for an Orange cover.

Three players factor heavily in Syracuse’s backcourt, with J.J. Starling (12.1 ppg), Nate Kingz (11.7 ppg), and Nathan George (10.5 ppg) all averaging in double figures.

Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry has never beaten Duke, going 0-3 against the Blue Devils, and we’re not expecting that maiden win to come tonight. But expect Syracuse to stay within shouting distance.

Syracuse has covered the spread in its last five games. Duke, meanwhile, has failed to cover in its last four. Like tonight, the Blue Devils were favored by double digits in three of those games.

Best Player Prop for Syracuse Orange

Nate Kingz 2+ 3-Pointers Made (-146 at FanDuel)

Kingz has been killing it from beyond the arc as of late. He’s coming off two straight games with three 3-pointers, and he’s had at least a pair of them in five of his last six games. All totaled, Kingz has scored at least two 3-pointers in 13 games this season.

Best Player Prop for Duke Blue Devils

Isaiah Evans OVER 15.5 Points (-104 at FanDuel)

Isaiah Evans has picked up his scoring pace over the last couple of games. He scored 21 points against Pitt before dropping 17 against Clemson.

The uptick in production was due in large part to his 3-point shooting. Evans combined to go 9-of-15 from behind the arc. You might also consider his prop to go OVER 2.5 3-pointers made tonight at +104.