Duke vs Maine Prediction 11-4-24 College Basketball Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Duke vs Maine Prediction for this College Basketball Game on Monday, November 4th, at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

Cooper Flagg Era Starts for Duke 

All the talk this offseason surrounding the Duke Blue Devils has been about the Cooper Flagg era starting for this team. Many believe he can be the number one pick and don’t be shocked if he ends the season as the best player in college basketball. Last season Duke finished wih a 29-7 record and they they lost in the Elite Eight. 

Jon Scheyer is entering his third year in charge of the program, and many believe this is the team that gets it done. One of the other big additions for this team this season was at shooting guard with Sion James who averaged 14 points per Game last year for the Tulane Green Wave. This shouldn’t be much more than a warmup for them and the hope is some of the guys at the end of the bench get a ton of playing time because it’s a blowout. 

Can Maine Finish Above .500? 

The Maine Black Bears finished last season with a 15-17 record and 7-9 in conference play, but they hope that this team is going to be good enough to get over the hump. One issue heading into this year is only two of the five starters from last year are back for another season. Maine was in a ton of close Games last year, just closing the Games wasn’t really the speciality for them. The star of last years team is back after averaging 12.6 points per Game last year. He also was the America East defensive player of the year.

Last year Maine’s defense gave up 67.6 points per game and if they want a chance to come out on top the defense is going to really need to impress. Obviously they aren’t scoring 100, so if they want a chance to keep it close, the defense is going to need to be very good. 

Matchup/League Facts

• Duke ranked 13th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage last season (67.8%).
• Duke ranked 15th among Division 1 teams for three-point percentage last season (37.7%).
• Maine ranked 31st among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game last season (18.4).
• Maine ranked 32nd among Division 1 teams for steals per game last season (8.4).

Duke vs Maine Prediction

Yes Duke is going to win this Game, and it probably will feel pretty comfortable, but this is too many points to lay with the Blue Devils. This Maine defense isn’t elite, but they are pretty solid, and they are going to find success here. The Black Bears defense is going to hold them under 80 points, and that is going to be enough for Maine to keep it within 15 points. Back Maine against the spread here.