College Basketball Picks – Blue Devils Defend Top Spot Against Visiting Owls Wednesday

In each of the last three weeks the team that was seeded No. 1 in the country at the beginning of the week suffered a loss and dropped down from that spot by the time that the rankings were next updated. The defending national champions will hope to avoid that same fate when they open their first week back at the top against the No. 24 Temple Owls on Wednesday night.

(24) Temple Owls @ Duke Blue Devils (1)

Wednesday February 23, 2011 – 7:00 PM ET

Cameron Indoor Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina

Online Sports Betting Odds: Duke – 14.5

The Blue Devils have won six in a row to regain the No. 1 ranking in the country, and establish a one-and-a-half game lead over the North Carolina Tar Heels for first place in the ACC. This will mark Duke’s final test against a ranked opponent before they finish the season with a showdown against the Tar Heels, one that they can make irrelevant by winning out from this point forward.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Temple

The Owls have earned the respect they feel they have deserved since the beginning of the season by putting together a seven-game win streak that has them at the top of the Atlantic 10 standings right behind first place Xavier. Temple hasn’t had many tough tests this season, but did manage to split its two games against ranked opponents so far with a win over Georgetown at home and a loss at Villanova. Junior guard Ramone Moore has been the team’s biggest offensive threat with an average of 15.4 points per game, but will face the best defenders he will see all college basketball betting year against the reigning national champions.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Duke

The Blue Devils understand very well just how important it is to win their next three games leading up to the finale with the Tar Heels, a game they do not want to play on the road with an ACC title on the line. Aside from a couple of upset losses, Duke has been very consistent this season and there is no reason to believe there will be another surprise down the stretch. The Blue Devils have won 34 straight games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and have not lost there against a non-conference sports betting bonus opponent since 2000.

College Basketball Betting: Outlook & Pick

Temple is 0-7 at Cameron Indoor Stadium since they won their first meeting there all the way back in 1949, and it would be a stretch to say that they are capable of winning this game. The Blue Devils are playing their best basketball of the season, and very determined to make sure they clinch both an ACC title and the top spot in the country before their season finale against North Carolina. Duke will win this game, but the number is too high to take them against the pay per head spread.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Owls + 14.5