Syracuse vs Duke Prediction 2/5/25 College Basketball Picks Today

In this article, we will formulate a Syracuse vs Duke Prediction for this college basketball game on Wednesday, February 5th, at the JMA Wireless Dome. Let’s take a look at a Syracuse Orange vs Duke Blue Devils pick. 

Can Syracuse Shock Everyone?

No one is giving Syracuse much of a shot to win this game, and probably for good reason, they have had issues this season. Even though they have had issues, they are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season in the last game. Syracuse scored 75 points against the California Golden Bears and that was enough for the nine-point victory. At halftime, they were up 40-23 and they never looked back on the way to the victory. Guard Lucas Taylor had a strong game putting up 19 points and seven rebounds. 

Syracuse overall this season sits with a 10-12 record and they have gone 11-10-1 against the spread. Syracuse is averaging 74.2 points while their defense is giving up 77 points per game. This is a team that can score, but their defense has been a problem and they are going to need the defense to be better. JJ Starling is having a strong season and he’s averaging 17.9 points while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. Donnie Freeman is averaging 13.9 points per game but he’s dealing with a leg injury and he’s still out. 

Duke Can’t Slip Up

Duke has played well all season but this isn’t a game they can overlook. In the last game, Duke faced off against North Carolina and they played well. The offense scored 87 points and they ended up winning by 17 points. Duke shot 52.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the three-point line. They also hit 21 of their 25 free throws. Kon Knueppel put up 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Cooper Flagg is probably going to be the top pick of the draft and he put up 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. 

Duke sits with a 19-2 record overall and they have gone 13-8 against the spread. Duke is averaging 80.3 points while their defense is giving up 60 points per game. The offense is ranked 50th in the league while the defense is ranked 5th in the league. One of the most impressive parts of this team is the first-half defense. They are giving up only 28.86 points per first half which is the best in the league. Cooper Flagg is averaging 20 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from behind the three-point line. Duke will meet Clemson, Cal, and Stanford after this game.

Why Duke Will Beat Syracuse 

• Duke has won each of its last 15 games.
• Syracuse has lost 12 of its last 13 night games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
• Syracuse has lost the first half in 24 of its last 30 games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.

Syracuse vs Duke Prediction

It might be tempting to take Syracuse here because of their win in the last game, but there is no chance I am ready to take that leap. Syracuse’s defense has been a problem all season and they are giving up 77 points per game. Duke in the last game scored 87 points and they are going to go even higher than that here. The Syracuse defense has no one that can slowdown Flagg and that will be the difference here. Back Duke to win this game and cover the spread.