7:00 p.m. ET: Appalachian St. Mountaineers (6-5) at Duke Blue Devils (8-1)

Spread: Duke -21.5
Total: 138.5

The Blue Devils (8-1) should be focused on basketball for a few weeks because end-of-semester exams have been completed. The #2 Duke Blue Devils will host App State in a non-conference matchup. Each team had a blowout home victory in their last game. Duke earned a 103-62 win over South Carolina State on Tuesday, while App State won easily 69-44 over Erskine on Monday. Only half of the victories for Appalachian State (6-5) have come against Division I opponents. The Mountaineers are 0-2 in true road games. Duke was without big man Theo John on Tuesday night because of a back injury, so that affects the Blue Devils’ depth. The Mountaineers are averaging 69 points per game on 43% shooting from the field while allowing opponents to score 58 points per game. The Blue Devils are averaging 85 points per game on 48% shooting while allowing opponents to score 65 points per game. The Mountaineers have already lost a pair of road games and now they are traveling to one of the toughest arenas in the sport. The Blue Devils have plenty of time off after this game so they should be focused and not looking ahead. Take the Dukies to cover this large number. 

Trends

• The Blue Devils are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games.
• The Mountaineers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games.

The Bookie:          Duke -21.5 / Under 138.5
Fade the Public:   App. State / Under
Sharp Action:       Duke / Under