Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1

Duke won its opener by 34 while shooting 18 percent from three and playing nobody more than 24 minutes. Covering 40.5 asks even more of a rotation that already spreads the game out.

The Matchup

Coastal Carolina visits No. 2 Duke on Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, with Duke a 40.5-point favorite and a total of 148.5, on the ACC Network. Duke finished 35-3 last season, scoring 80.9 points a game and allowing 62.4. Coastal Carolina finished 19-13, scoring 71.4 and allowing 71.5. Those are last season's numbers, and both rosters look different now.

Duke's opener shows how this favorite wins. The Blue Devils beat Army 84-50 with 50 points in the paint and 29 points off turnovers, and the scoring was spread thin on purpose: Dame Sarr led with 16 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje added 15 with 7 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Patrick Ngongba II scored 10 with 7 rebounds. Nobody played more than 24 minutes, and 12 players scored.

Coastal Carolina lost its opener 71-70 at home to Eastern Michigan, in a game decided by one opposing bench player's huge night at the free-throw line. Trey Perry scored 20 for the Chanticleers, Darius Washington III added 13 off the bench, and Jaylen Cross scored 10 with 8 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting. Coastal won the rebounding battle 40-32 and still lost by a point.

Key Factors

The number is the argument. Duke's opener produced a 34-point margin with cold shooting, at 18 percent from three, and a rotation that emptied early. To cover 40.5, Duke needs either hot perimeter shooting it has not shown or its bench to keep pressing a lead its starters built, and benches that play heavy minutes in blowouts usually trade baskets instead of extending them.

Coastal's one sturdy asset is the glass. The Chanticleers grabbed 40 rebounds against Eastern Michigan, with Cross, Derrick Green, Caleb Middleton and Tristan Thompson all contributing, and every extra possession a 40.5-point underdog steals is worth double: it is a Duke possession that never happens.

The counterpoint is creation. Coastal handed out only 9 assists in its opener, Perry and Washington combined to shoot 13-of-33, and Duke just forced 24 turnovers from Army while scoring 50 points in the paint. If the Chanticleers cannot get into their offense at Cameron, this can be 30 by halftime and the back door may never open. The bet is that Coastal's rebounding and Duke's rotation keep the final margin in the thirties, where the points cash.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.