College basketball begins tonight as the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats tip off against the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils in the night game of the State Farm Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This is the first meeting between these two schools since 2015 and Kentucky is a 1.5-point favorite in tonight’s contest with the total Sportsbook at 157 points.
- Duke is 4-2 SU and 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 regular-season games as an underdog.
- The total has gone OVER in nine of Kentucky’s last 11 games (avg. combined score: 148.55).
- Duke is 3-1 SU in its last four games vs Kentucky.
High Hopes on Duke heading into the season
The Blue Devils are the consensus favorite to win the national championship this season and it all starts tonight against the Wildcats. Duke had the best recruiting crop this offseason, bringing in four players from the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Boys game. Included among those four players are small forward R.J. Barrett and power forward Zion Williamson, who are projected to go first and second in the 2019 NBA draft.
If this comes to fruition, it’ll be the first time since 2012 that two players from the same team have gone first and second in the draft. Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were Kentucky teammates that year – and the Wildcats also won the national championship that season.
Kentucky Primed for a breakout year
The Wildcats look to derail the Blue Devils hype train and they have their sights set on glory at the end of March Madness this season. Kentucky was just behind Duke for recruiting this year as it brought in three players from the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Boys game – most notably center E.J. Montgomery and small forward Keldon Johnson. In total, the Wildcats have seven alumni from the McDonald’s All-American game on their team.
Youth may be of some concern, though, as Kentucky has just three upperclassmen on the squad while having seven freshmen. It will be interesting to see how they can adapt to head coach John Calipari’s style of play.
Should you be on the OVER tonight?
Two high-powered offenses are set to tip off and Sportsbook has tonight’s total Sportsbook at 157 points. The total went OVER in six of Duke’s 10 games against ranked opponents last season with the Blue Devils scoring an average of 78.9 points in those contests. Meanwhile, Kentucky has gone OVER in nine of its last 11 games, averaging 79.45 points over that span. Lastly, both teams are going to want to show off their newest acquisitions and I expect a high-scoring close game. You should be on the OVER.
My take on Duke vs Kentucky
I’m a little surprised to see Duke as an underdog in this game and for that reason, I like the Blue Devils on the +1.5-point spread. The Blue Devils have a lot of hype behind them and rightfully so with the big four they have brought in with Barrett, Williamson, Tre Jones and Cameron Reddish. Additionally, Duke is 4-2 SU and 4-1-1 ATS in its last six regular-season games as an underdog and 3-1 SU in its last four games vs Kentucky. I’m not anticipating a blowout by any means, but I do think that the Blue Devils should earn the win tonight. Buckle in for a great game to open the season.
