Utah vs Blue Devils Betting Odds and Pick – December 19, 2015

Sixth-ranked Duke suffered a serious blow in the backcourt earlier this week as senior power forward Amile Jefferson broke his right foot in practice. That’s poor timing for the Blue Devils, as Saturday’s slate of college hoops action pits them against the Utah Utes.

Shark Bites

The OVER is 6-1 in the Utes last 7 overall.
The Blue Devils are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Utes are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win.

Utah features Jakob Poeltl, a sophomore center who has been absolutely on fire as of late. Poeltl is shooting 69.9 percent from the field and is averaging 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds this season, meaning the loss of Jefferson could create huge matchup issues for the Dukies.

Duke has won three out of their last four meetings with Utah, including a 63-57 victory in the Sweet 16 clash during last season’s NCAA Tournament.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

Sportsbooks (including Sportsbook) had the Duke Blue Devils betting line as -8-point favorites in this particular matchup earlier in the day. Also, watch for the Sportsbook over/under total value at Sportsbook.

Utah Utes vs Duke Blue Devils Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

Supporters of the Utah Utes have watched them go 8-2 and 3-6-1 ATS on the college basketball season, while the Duke Blue Devils are at 9-1 and 4-5 ATS. In totals betting, the Duke Blue Devils are 4-5, while the Utah Utes have a 8-2 mark.

The Duke Blue Devils sit at No. 7 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Utah Utes sit at No. 53 on the same chart.

Statistical Matchup

Offensively, the game matches up Duke's No. 6 nationally ranked offense (87.3 points per game) against a Utah Utes defense that sits as the No. 162 at 71.4 PPG. The Duke Blue Devils have been averaging 48.93% from the field, less than the Utes have managed so far this season (49.01% on average).