Duke vs. Wake Forest Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Jan. 25

Reed Wallach | Jan 25, 2025

Jan 18, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Duke Blue Devils continue to set the pace as the best team in college basketball this season. 

With Cooper Flagg the overwhelming favorite to win the Wooden Award, can Duke continue to polish its resume ahead of the postseason and build on an undefeated start to ACC play? The team is a double digit road favorite at Wake Forest, who narrowly beat North Carolina earlier this week to stay one game back of the Blue Devils. 

Despite the close ACC record, oddsmakers have taken a stance on Duke, will the team continue its blistering path through the league? 

Here’s our betting preview. 

Duke vs. Wake Forest Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Duke: -11.5 (-110)
• Wake Forest: +11.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Duke: -720
• Wake Forest: +500

Total: 135.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Duke vs. Wake Forest How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, January 25th
• Game Time: 4:30 PM EST
• Venue: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Duke Record: 16-2
• Wake Forest Record: 15-4

Duke vs. Wake Forest Key Players to Watch 

Duke

Cooper Flagg: Flagg’s season continues to look the part of one of the most impactful freshman campaigns in the sport’s history. He is averaging 19 points with eight rebounds to go with four assists and nearly two steals per game while shooting over 48% from the field. 

Wake Forest

Hunter Sallis: Sallis continues to struggle to shoot from the perimeter, but has found other ways to contribute, evident in the Demon Deacons win against North Carolina. Sallis scored only 14 points while missing all six of his three-point attempts, snapping his seven game streak of scoring 20 or more points, but he grabbed nine rebounds to help guide the team to a massive home win.

Duke vs. Wake Forest Prediction and Pick

Wake Forest has maintained a solid offensive profile despite being a terrible three-point shooting team, hitting on only 28% of its three-point attempts. 

With Sallis leading the way, the Demon Deacons are an elite team on the interior, ranking 19th in mid-range field goal percentage and 73rd in near-rim field goal percentage. This will likely be a tough task to pull a win off against the elite Duke frontcourt that features Flagg and 7’2” rim protector Khaman Maluach, I do believe Wake can generate sound offense on its sound floor. 

On the other side, I expect Duke to dictate the terms on offense. Wake’s defense is boom-or-bust, over leveraged on forcing turnovers. The team is tops in the ACC in turnover rate, but is half of the league in defensive rebounding rate, per KenPom, which will be an issue against the jumbo-sized Duke offense.

Ultimately, Duke has too much firepower for the Demon Deacons, who allow the second highest rate of three-point shots in ACC play, which will play right into Duke’s hands, ranking second in three-point rate and shooting a healthy 37% on the year (35th in the country).

My favorite play in this game is the over as Wake Forest should help do the scoring to get this one above the listed total. 

PICK: OVER 135.5 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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