Rogers' *10* ACC TOP TICKET >>> 19-11-1 L31 NCAAB!
(NCAAB) Duke vs. Wake Forest,
Point Spread: -4.00 | -126.00 Duke (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up: Coach K has been relegated to watching Duke from afar since having back surgery early this month and can't possibly have liked what he's seen. He has reportedly has banned players from the locker room and from wearing team apparel "until they start living up to the standards of the Duke program." No. 17 Duke (15-5, 3-4 in ACC play) will be in Winston-Salem this afternoon to take on Wake Forest, which is 12-8 overall, 3-5 in ACC play.
Duke: The Blue Devils lost 84-82 at home to North Carolina State this past Tuesday, dropped them to below .500 in ACC play. Duke has lost three of its last four and is 2-3 under acting coach Jeff Capel. The Blue Devils have yet to win a true road game this season, losing at Virginia Tech, Florida State and Louisville by an average of 13 points. The team's struggles are hard to isolate, considering Duke has five double digit scorers and a wealth of talent. The backcourt consists of Kennard (19.8 & 5.5), Allen (15.1 & 4.4), Jackson (10.8) and Jones (8.6). Up front, the 6-8 Tatum (16.5 & 6.8) is a freshman and the 6-9 Jefferson (12.7 & 9.9) a senior. Then there is teh 6-10 Giles, the super-frosh who is rounding into shape after an early injury. He's played in just nine games, averaging 5.4 & 5.0 getting about 13 minutes of playing time.

Wake Forest: Danny Manning's tenure at Wake has not gotten off to a robust start, as Wake won 13 times in his first season and 11 times last year (7-29 combined, in ACC play). I guess the team's 12-8 record so far this season (3-5 in ACC play) has to be considered a move in the right direction. For sure, the Demon Deacons are an excellent offensive team, averaging 81.4 PPG (32nd) and that includes them scoring 87.9 PPG on 50 percent shooting at home. A pair of 6-10 players are the keys up front, Collins (17.0 & 9.0) and Mitoglou (10.2 & 6.4) plus guards Crawford (14.6 & 5.9 APG) and Woods (12.9 & 4.4) are a quality backcourt duo.

The pick: Wake's improving but catch Duke off that home loss to NC State and the Blue Devils will be none too happy. It hardly inspires confidence for Wake Forest that the Demon Deacons have lost nine straight home games against ranked opponents since posting an 82-72 victory over No. 5 Duke back on March 5, 2014. Make Duke a 10* play.