Maine vs Duke Prediction, Odds, College Basketball Picks

The Maine Black Bears open the college basketball season Monday night at No. 7 Duke Blue Devils Stadium. It’s time to continue our college basketball bets row with Maine-Duke forecast and selection. We’ll also let you know how to watch.

Here’s Man-Duke College Basketball Oddscourtesy of FanDuel

College Basketball Odds: Maine-Duke Odds

Maine: +29.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +4000

Duke: -29.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -50000

Over: 134.5 (-115)

Under: 134.5 (-105)

How to watch Maine vs Duke

Time: 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT.

TV: ACC Network

Stream: fuboTV (Free trial)

Why Maine will cover the spread/winning

Maine will head to Duke, where Cooper Flagg plays. Flagg is actually from Maine. Maine was also able to convince Brother Flagg to join them. However, this is neither here nor there. Maine should be on top offensively in this game. Keeping pace with Duke will be key to covering the spread. Maine will need AJ Lopez, Quion Burns, Jayden Clayton and Kellen Tynes to play big roles on Monday night.

Clayton and Tynes will be the two best players on the floor for the Black Bears. Clayton has gotten better every year for Maine, and if that trend continues, he’ll be averaging double-digit points this season. Tynes averaged 14.3 points and 12.6 points in his two seasons at Maine. The Black Bears need Tynes and Clayton to score 15+ points if they want to have any chance of covering the spread.

Maine will also need to be solid on defense. And then Tynes comes to the rescue. Tynes is the reigning American Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Tynes received this award for the second year in a row. He led the Black Bears to just 67.5 points per game last season. Last season, Maine handled the pressure well, forced turnovers, and didn’t miss many shots. They did all this while staying out of trouble. If Maine can play tough defense, they will keep this game within 30 points.

Why Duke will cover the spread/win

Duke has a chance to be very good this season. That’s because they have a top recruit and perhaps the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft in Cooper Flagg. Flagg is a 6-foot-9 freshman and already has his name in the running for the Wooden Award. He scored 19 points in their first game of the season and nine more points against Arizona State in their second. Flagg has the ability to change the outcome of every game, and if he plays well, Duke will beat Maine.

However, Duke doesn’t just have Cooper Flagg. One player who really came into his own in two pre-season appearances was Con Knuppel. Knueppel scored 19 and 17 points in Duke’s two exhibition games. Knuppel will be Duke’s biggest threat from beyond the arc this season. Most of his shots will come from three-point range, and if he gets hot, the opposing team will be in big trouble.

Along with these two players, Duke has an explosive offense. In two preseason games, the Blue Devils have outscored their opponents 210-103. They scored over 100 points in both games and conceded less than 60 in both games. They will be a very good team this season and if they play like they did in the preseason, the Blue Devils will win this game easily.

Final Prediction and Maine-Duke Picks

Maine will be a decent mid-major team this season. They will make a splash at their conference and will probably end it close to the beginning. However, Duke will be ranked in the top five for the entire season. I expect Duke to handle Maine easily.

Final Maine-Duke Prediction and Pick: Duke -29.5 (-110)