Happy Tuesday, sports betting family. As it usually does, the season is going by way too rapidly, but thankfully, there are lots of fun matchups left out there for us to dive into. It's hard to believe that we only have a few weeks left in the regular season.
I've found some nice edges on Saturday afternoon's Duke vs UConn game, which kicks off at 3:30 Eastern Time. I've broken down all aspects of this matchup and came up with an early best bet to hopefully help build your bankroll.
Good luck and enjoy the action! This should be a sensational battle at Pratt and Whitney Stadium. Let's get into it!
Online sportsbooks opened this line at Duke -13.5 on the look-ahead line back in the summer months. Surprisingly, the current number is now Duke -8.5, which is kind of a shock since the Blue Devils are still very much in the thick of the ACC title race.
As for the game total, there's been a huge hunger for the Over so far. The line opened at 60.5, and almost every sportsbook in the US is now dealing 65.5. BetMGM is even offering a 66.5 here on Tuesday morning.
Duke has had a weird season so far, as they're 5-3 but have been very inconsistent at times. The Blue Devils were blown out by Illinois in Week 2 and suffered close losses to both Georgia Tech and Tulane. However, QB Darian Mensah (2572 passing yards, 21 passing TDs) has been playing terrific all season long.
Mensah loves to push the ball deep to Cooper Barkate, who has hauled in 45 receptions for 774 yards and 5 scores this season. Running back Nate Sheppard has also done a good job for Duke on the ground (557 rush yards, 5 TDs). The Blue Devils' offense ranks 19th in yards per play, so they can move the football up and down the field quickly.
Duke's defense continues to be their Achilles heel. The secondary ranks just 127th in yards per pass allowed, which could be a problem against UConn's passing attack. However, Duke's D-line is pretty stout against the run.
Can you believe that the Huskies are already bowl-eligible? Their big win over UAB last week was their 6th win, but that doesn't mean they'll show up fat, drunk, and happy to this matchup against Duke. You can bet that UConn views this as a massive opportunity against a Power 4 school at home.
QB Joe Fagnano has been amazing this season, as he's racked up 2529 passing yards and 22 TDs. It's hard to believe that this kid was a 0-star recruit coming out of high school. Fagnano's favorite target is WR Skyler Bell, who is only six yards away from 1,000 receiving yards on the year.
Duke vs UConn- 3:30 PM ET (11/8)
Faithful subscribers know that I'm a spot player at heart when it comes to college football, and this is a MEGA look-ahead / flat / don't care spot for Duke. The Blue Devils just took down Clemson last week, 46-45, thanks to a gutsy two-point conversion attempt at the end that worked out. To say that was an emotional win for Duke would be a HUGE understatement.
Now the Dukies have to hit the highway for a back-to-back roadie spot against UConn. This is a horrific spot because it's sandwiched between the big Clemson win and a gigantic meeting with No. 12 Virginia on deck next week. The bottom line is that I highly doubt that the Blue Devils will be focused in this one, especially in the first half.
Sure, UConn has played a cupcake independent schedule, but we have to respect that the Huskies are 6-3 and that this game against an ACC foe is very important to them. UConn's offense doesn't get a lot of national hype, but they average more than 34 points per game, and they rank 22nd nationally in yards per play. Let's bet on the Huskies in the first half in this fantastic spot for them. Good luck, sports betting compadres.