College Basketball Best Bets February 12: Wake Forest & Duke Stay ‘Under’

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Top NCAAB Pick: Wake Forest-Duke Under 152 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)

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Wake Forest-Duke Under 152 (-108)
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It’s always a Big Monday if the Duke Blue Devils are on the NCAAB betting card.

Their ACC clash is joined by a couple of crucial collisions down in the Big 12 where a half-dozen teams are packed within 2-games of each other at the top of the ranks.

Let’s review tonight’s action and explore how to cash in on these plays at the top-rated online sportsbooks.


Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Duke Blue Devils

Monday, February 12, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Cameron Indoor Stadium


Sitting a game apart in the ACC standings, Tobacco Road rivals Duke and Wake Forest meet for the first of two regular season matchups in a nationally televised contest to help celebrate the end of the Needs Full Lobotomy season.

Deacons Have Covered the Last 3 Meetings

Opening numbers were held overnight at top sportsbooks, with Duke backers being asked to give up 7 points to Wake Forest. The scoreboard target is 151½-152.

The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons have a quick rematch on the horizon with a contest in Winston-Salem just 12 days away. The teams split last year’s clashes, each winning at home. Duke holds a commanding 179-80 lead in the rivalry.

You have to go all the way back to January 1997 to find the last time Wake Forest won a game in Durham. The Demon Deacons had a guy named Tim Duncan posting up then. The Blue Devils have since won 25 straight home games in the series.

Wake’s 80.8 PPG Rank 2nd in ACC

Wake Forest reaches Durham off three consecutive victories in which the Demon Deacons reached or eclipsed the 80-point plateau in each contest. Duke won twice last week to bounce back from a loss to rival UNC, covering double-digit chalk on the odds boards in the home clashes with Boston College and Notre Dame.

The Pick

Taking the points is tempting, but there’s more reason to expect the ‘under’ to be a winner at the final buzzer.

NCAAB Pick: Wake Forest-Duke Under 152 (-108) at Heritage Sports

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Wake Forest-Duke Under 152 (-108)
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West Virginia Mountaineers vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Monday, February 12, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena


West Virginia and TCU are each looking to stop 2-game skids as they prepare to slug it out in Ft. Worth. BetOnline has installed the Horned Frogs as 13-point home favorites for this matchup.

Mountaineers’ 68.0 PPG Last in Big 12

West Virginia isn’t all that good when playing at home, but the Mountaineers have proven to be downright awful at 0-9 (1-8 ATS) outside of Morgantown. The latest setback came Saturday in Austin in a 94-58 loss to the Longhorns.

The Horned Frogs were downed by Texas a week earlier, 77-66. They blew a 10-point lead in the first half of that game in which both teams shot 50% or better. That was followed by a 77-66 loss at Iowa State this past Saturday in a game TCU was getting 8.

Home Teams Have Won Last 5

The Mountaineers won 12 of the first 13 meetings with the Horned Frogs. However, TCU has slowed that domination with three wins in the last seven. The teams split home wins and cover each of the past two seasons, with the favorite cashing five of the last six.

The Pick

As bad as WVU has been on the road, I’ll take the points against this inconsistent TCU team.

NCAAB Pick: West Virginia +13 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

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West Virginia +13 (-110)
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Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Monday, February 12, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at United Supermarkets Arena


The top seed in this year’s Big 12 Tournament is still up for grabs with just four weeks left in the regular season, only adding to the pressure for Monday night’s battle in Lubbock, where Texas Tech is a small home ‘dog against Kansas.

Jayhawks Have Lost the Last 3 Roadies

This is the first of two road tilts for Bill Self and the Jayhawks this week. They have a stop in Norman to face Oklahoma on Saturday. After losing to rival Kansas State early last week, Kansas returned home and slipped past Baylor in a prime-time match on Saturday.

Kansas led for all but about 90 seconds. However, they never could put the pesky Bears away. Baylor missed a couple of chances to force overtime at the end in the 64-61 final.

After losing three in a row, Texas Tech picked up a much-needed 66-59 decision over UCF last weekend. They needed a strong close to avoid an upset bid by the Knights. The Red Raiders were favored by 8 at most shops and the final never really threatened a 136-point total.

‘Over’ Cashes Last 2 in Lubbock

This is the lone regular-season matchup between the two. The Jayhawks have won the last four get-togethers to build a huge 43-7 over the Red Raiders. Both contests a year ago were close. Kansas staved off a late rally effort by Texas Tech for a 75-72 final in Lubbock.

The Pick

No way I’m going against the Jayhawks’ streak in the rivalry with my college basketball pick.

NCAAB Pick: Kansas +2 (-108) at Heritage Sports

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Kansas +2 (-108)
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*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.