Duke Blue Devils vs SMU Mustangs Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Duke vs SMU NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Dallas.

Duke vs SMU Prediction

The Blue Devils and Mustangs are set to face off at 2:15 ET on CW. The Mustangs will host the game at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. Duke is favored by -7.5 in this Atlantic Coast conference matchup the against SMU. The over/under for the game is set at 148.5 points.

Duke vs. SMU Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Duke Blue Devils at SMU Mustangs
Where: Dallas at Moody Coliseum
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds DUKE -7.5, DUKE -366 | SMU +277 O/U 148.5

Blue Devils Preview: Will the Blue Devils Win in Dallas?

Duke improved to 11-2 on the season with an 88-65 win over Virginia Tech on Tuesday, December 31st. Playing at home, the Blue Devils were -25.5 favorites but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 153 exceeded the O/U line of 136.5.

Duke led 37-27 at halftime and put up 51 points in the 2nd half while allowing 38.

Blue Devils Offense Breakdown

Duke's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 88 points and shooting 53.4% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 62.1%, with 69% shooting on two-pointers and 37.9% from beyond the arc. They were perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all 15 of their attempts.

Cooper Flagg led the way with 24 points and 6 assists, shooting 64.3% overall and 50% from three. Toibu Lawal was also efficient, scoring 19 points on 77.8% shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep. Duke finished with 19 assists and 10 offensive rebounds in the win.

Blue Devils Team Defense

Despite Duke's defensive struggles, they managed to hold their opponent to 65 points. The Blue Devils allowed a 53% shooting performance, with 31 made field goals on 58 attempts.

From two-point range, Duke's opponent shot 69%, hitting 20 of 29 shots. They also connected on 11 of 29 three-point attempts, shooting 37%. The Blue Devils sent their opponent to the free-throw line 15 times, where they made all their attempts.

Mustangs Preview: Will the Mustangs Win at Moody Coliseum?

SMU Mustangs Recent Game/Games

The Mustangs improved to 11-2 on the season with a 98-82 win over Longwood on Sunday. SMU, playing at home, was a heavy -18.5 favorite but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 180 exceeded the O/U line of 153.5.

SMU led 45-43 at halftime before pulling away in the 2nd half, outscoring Longwood 53-39.

Mustangs Offense Breakdown

SMU's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 98 points with a field goal percentage of 62% and an effective field goal percentage of 72%. They shot 70% from inside the arc and hit 50% of their threes, going 10-for-20 from deep. At the free-throw line, they connected on 83.9%, hitting 26 of 31 attempts.

Boopie Miller led the way with 24 points and 7 assists, shooting 6-for-7 from the field and perfect from three-point range. Yohan Traore and Elijah Tucker each added 20 points, with Traore also grabbing 11 rebounds. Colby Garland contributed 19 points and dished out 11 assists.

Mustangs Team Defense

SMU's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 82 points on 62% shooting from the field. The Mustangs allowed their opponents to hit 70% of their two-point attempts, with 21 made shots inside the arc.

From three-point range, SMU's opponents shot 50%, connecting on 10 of 20 attempts. The Mustangs also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 31 times, where they converted 26 free throws at an 83% clip.

Blue Devils vs Mustangs Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last five road games, Duke has averaged 72 points per game while allowing 58 . The team's record in this stretch was 5-0 while going 5-0 vs. the spread.
Across the Mustangs last five home games, the team averaged 82 points per game while allowing 78. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 2-3, while going 2-3 straight-up.
In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Mustangs have a straight up record of 1-9 and an ATS mark of 3-7.
In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Blue Devils have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.