Boston College vs. Duke Preview
DURHAM, NC (AP) – Ryan Kelly hasn’t missed a field goal in almost two weeks, and Duke hasn’t lost at home in nearly two years.
Boston College may only be capable of stopping one of those streaks.
Kelly looks to continue his impressive play as the third-ranked Blue Devils attempt to continue their dominance of the Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday night.
Current college basketball odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made Duke -17 point spread favorites for Thursday’s game against Boston College. Current college basketball public betting information shows that 67% of more than 98 bets for this game have been placed on Duke -17.
Kelly has made 13 consecutive shots from the floor, including six in a row from beyond the arc to help Duke (18-1, 5-1 ACC) to a three-game winning streak. The sophomore forward hasn’t missed since the first half of a 76-60 win over Virginia on Jan. 15, hitting his final three shots of the game.
He continued his impressive streak by sinking six field goals with four 3-pointers while also going 4-for-4 from the line to total a career-high 20 points in an 83-59 win at Wake Forest on Saturday.
“It’s not going to be every game where I go 6 for 6 … but I’m confident in my shot,” Kelly said. “Every day, come to work, be hungry and good things will happen.”
Kelly is averaging 13.0 points the last three games, nearly doubling his season average of 6.7.
“Since ACC play (began), he’s gotten better every game,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He’s a very reliable player, and he doesn’t get flustered. He knows where he’s supposed to be all the time, and I think he’s become more aggressive and ready to take his shot.”
The Blue Devils are tied with No. 22 Florida State for first place in the conference. Playing at home gives them a good chance to remain in the top spot since they’ve won 30 in a row there – 13 in ACC play – by an average of 24.7 points.
Duke hasn’t lost at home to an unranked foe since falling to the Seminoles on Feb. 4, 2007, winning 52 straight since.
Another strong performance from Nolan Smith would help continue those streaks. The senior guard leads the conference with averages of 20.1 points and 5.6 assists, but is averaging 25.3 points the last six home games.
“His scoring has really opened up things for other people,” Kelly said. “We want him to be a score-first point guard, the way he plays. But when he starts to score, defenses have to key in on him even more. They collapse, and that opens up a lot of open shots for teammates, and he’s ready to kick (the ball to) them. He really looks for us.”
Smith did most of the damage as Duke swept the two-game season series with Boston College (14-6, 4-2) in 2009-10, averaging 22.5 points on 62.1 percent shooting.
The Blue Devils have won 12 of 14 meetings with the Eagles, including all five at home by an average of 18.0 points.
Boston College is 2-3 on the road, losing the last two after shooting a season-low 35.4 percent to fall 67-51 at Florida State on Saturday. The Eagles also turned in their worst defensive effort of the season, allowing the Seminoles to make 51.1 percent of their shots while hitting 7 of 17 from 3-point range.
A similar performance would spell big trouble against the Blue Devils, among the nation’s leaders with 85.7 points per game.
Reggie Jackson’s 19.1 points per game and 4.9 assists both rank second in the ACC, but he was held to 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting while adding seven assists Saturday.
The junior guard scored 20 points off the bench in a 79-59 loss at Duke on Jan. 13, 2010.
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