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Joey Torelli
Twitter Pick Ohio State -7 (17-7 Run)
2* Oregon -15.5
3* Illinois -4
Twitter Pick Ohio State -7 (17-7 Run)
2* Oregon -15.5
3* Illinois -4
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Jeff Benton
Tuesday's Action
20 Dime winner going out on the Northwestern Wildcats as the small road favarite agaiast the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. As I release this winner, the Wildcats are a -1 favorite both here in Vegas and offshore. Make sure to wait a little while today to see where this line winds up, as I have a feelhng the Jackets may end up as the slight favorite come game time.Comment
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DAVID BANKS
Duke Blue Devils vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
College hoops action hogs Tuesday’s primetime spotlight when a pair of undefeated teams in the Duke Blue Devils (7-0, 3-4 ATS) and Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0, 2-1 ATS) collide in the highly anticipated ACC/Big Ten Challenge; tip-off from the Schottenstein Center is set to go live on ESPN & ESPN3.com at 9:30 ET.
Though the Blue Devils played second fiddle to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC last season after winning 13 of their 16 conference tussles, it went on to capture its 19th ACC tourney title after shellacking UNC 75-58 in the final. The Dookies were then disposed of in the Sweet 16 by the upstart Arizona Wildcats ultimately preventing them from cutting the nets down in successive seasons. Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski started the 2011-12 season off with an impressive milestone after registering his 903rd overall victory to become the winningest coach in Division I history. The club then went on to win the EA Sports Maui Invitational when it got passed Kansas 68-61 to win the tourney for the fifth time in school history. Duke is once again an excellent shooting team already converting at a 49.4 percent clip from the field led by sharpshooters Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton.
Though it was beaten by both Wisconsin and Purdue a year ago, the Buckeyes went on to win the regular season crown in the Big 10 before cruising through the conference tournament and earning a #1 seed in the Big Dance after besting Penn State 71-60 in the finale. Just like Duke, OSU’s run in the NCAA Tournament was cut short in the Sweet 16 where the Kentucky Wildcats pulled the 62-60 outright win as 5.5-point underdogs. Both big man Jared Sullinger and guard William Buford are back on Head Coach Thad Matta’s roster this season, and the Buckeyes’ have benefited from the dynamic duo’s play ever since tipping the season off at home against Wright State. The Buckeyes already sport five wins by more than 30 points! The squad ranks 12th in scoring offense (85.2 PPG) and has converted 51.5 percent of their shots, while the defense has allowed an average of just 54.7 PPG on 37.4 percent shooting (#38); they’re also outboarding the opposition by 9.2 rebounds per game.
It’s been nearly a decade since these programs engaged in hardwood warfare last meeting back in 2002 in a game won by the Blue Devils 91-76 as 15-point favorites. Duke was dogged only once last season in their regular season finale at Chapel Hill. They fell 81-67 to drop to 4-6 SU & 5-5 ATS the L/10 times oddsmakers installed them as underdogs. Ohio State has covered seven of its L/9 non-conference tussles and stands 6-4 SU & ATS the L/10 times it was favored by four-points or less.
PICK: DUKE/OHIO OVERComment
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