The Jacksonville Dolphins and the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils open their seasons Monday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Jacksonville vs. Duke school odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Dolphins of Jacksonville roll into Cameron Indoor Stadium and will be a trivia answer: “Who was the first opponent to face Duke under new coach Jon Scheyer?”
JU is a difficult first opponent for anybody, too. The Atlantic Sun Conference’s West Divison regular-season leader allowed just 59.3 PPG last year — the 4th-best mark in the nation — while holding opponents to 39.6% from the field and 29.5% from behind the 3-point line. Both of those marks were 23rd or better in the country.
Duke lost 4 players to the 1st round of the 2022 NBA Draft, not to mention legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. However, Scheyer, like Coach K, has simply reloaded by adding several high-profile recruits and through the transfer portal. However, two big-name recruits are dealing with injuries. C Dereck Lively (calf) is questionable to play, and SF Dariq Whitehead (foot) is out indefinitely. But this new-look Blue Devils team will still be chock full of talent.