Tuesday January 23rd ACC MBB Slate

#12 Duke 13-4 at Louisville 6-12 7pm ACCN

Duke comes into Louisville Tuesday night trying to rebound after the loss at home to Pitt on Saturday. The Blue Devils were missing two key starters and Blake Hinson for Pitt went off, shooting 7-7 from 3. 

Louisville comes into the matchup having lost 4 of their last 5 and needs a win badly. The plus for Louisville is that they are potentially playing a weakened Duke, coming off that loss. Another plus is the Cardinals getting to play at home. However, the key factor in the game for me is Kyle Filipowski. The Blue Devil center is averaging 18.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Even if missing a couple of starters, I think Duke still wins comfortably. 

Line: Duke -14.5

Pitt 11-7 at Georgia Tech 9-9 7pm ESPNU

Pitt is flying high after their big-time 80-76 win at Duke on Saturday. The Panthers now fly farther south to play a Georgia Tech team that just lost 75-66 to Virginia at home. 

Blake Hinson shot the ball extremely well for Pitt, going 7-7 from 3-point range. However, the rest of the team only made 3-13 from beyond the arc in the game. I would imagine that the shooting percentage goes down on Tuesday night. A player to watch out for on Georgia Tech is Baye Ndongo who is averaging 12.9 points and 8.7 rebounds down low. I think Pitt pulls it out, but this will be a close game down to the end. 

Line: Pitt -2.5

Florida State 11-7 at Syracuse 13-5 7pm ESPN2

Florida State travels to New York after falling at home to Clemson on Saturday 78-67. The Seminoles are looking to rebound on the road against a Syracuse team that defeated Miami on a buzzer-beating three. 

The question for this game is, how will Florida State’s length affect Syracuse’s ability to run offense? I think that Syracuse has enough shooting from outside and size of their own to hold off Florida State inside. A plus for Syracuse is they beat Miami last time out with star Judah Mintz only scoring 10 points but having 13 assists. Give me Syracuse’s shooting ability and getting to play back-to-back games at home in this one. 

Line: Syracuse -3.5

Boston College 11-7 at Virginia Tech 9pm ACCN

In the final matchup on Tuesday night, Boston College travels to Blacksburg for a late-night tip at Virginia Tech. Boston College lost at home Saturday against North Carolina 76-66 while Virgina Tech won on the road in Raleigh 84-78. 

The encouraging aspect I saw for Hokie fans was Sean Pedulla’s ability to get his teammates involved and the team wins on the road without him having to score 25+. The trio of himself, Hunter Catoor, and Lynn Kidd down low make them a tough out any night. While it was good to see Quinten Post back for the Eagles, I think Virginia Tech has too much firepower at home and they are starting to build some momentum. 

Line: Virginia Tech -5.5