Army (0-0) vs. Duke (1-0)
November 8, 2024 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Duke -28.5; Over/Under: 142.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Army Black Knights and the Duke Blue Devils meet Friday in college basketball action from Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here’s a Duke vs Army prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Duke vs Army pick.
Army Black Knights Betting Preview
Last year the Knights posted a rough 10-22 overall record and a 6-12 result in the Patriot League. Army finished ahead of only Holy Cross and Loyola in the standings. Their final game was a first-round loss to Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament.
In their first action of the season versus Albany, the Knights went into halftime with a three-point lead. Army scored 40 more points from there in a 67-59 win. Josh Scovens led the way with 22 points and five boards, while Jalen Rucker added 12 points and six rebounds.
Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview
Over on the Duke side, they finished 27-9 last year with a 15-5 run in ACC games. Duke landed behind only North Carolina in the standings but fell to NC State quickly in the conference tourney. Duke rebounded to make it to the Elite Eight (where they lost again to NC State) in the national tourney.
The Blue Devils didn’t have any issues versus Maine on Monday in their opener. Duke came out of the break with a 44-33 edge and hit a 52-29 run from there for a win 96-62. Kon Knueppel led the team on 22 points. Cooper Flagg added 18 points, seven boards and five assists.
Why the Duke Blue Devils will win
- Duke has won 30 of its last 31 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Army has lost five of its last six games.
- Duke has won the first half in each of its last eight games against non-Conference opponents.
Why the Army Black Knights will win
- Army has won four of its last five night games against non-Conference opponents.
- Army has won the first half in each of its last six night games against non-Conference opponents.
Duke vs Army Prediction
I might take a stab on Army here. The Knights didn’t face the most stout competition in their opener versus Albany, but they got the job done handily. Army shot 44 percent from the field with a tepid 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) from outside and 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the line. The Knights gathered 41 rebounds but also coughed up 13 turnovers. There’s plenty to clean up, but also a lot to build on.
As for Duke, they drilled Maine in their opener with 55.6 percent shooting from the field and a 40-27 rebounding edge. The Devils moved the ball around well with 17 team assists in a nice overall win. Duke should still be in control here also, but I think the Knights can hang around cover-wise if they play well.
