Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Duke Blue Devils

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC

TV: The CW Network

The Duke Blue Devils (17-1) welcome the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-8) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons stepped onto the hardwood against SMU and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 91-79 in their last game. Wake Forest wrapped up the game having earned a 43.8% FG percentage (28 of 64) and made 10 out of their 30 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Demon Deacons knocked down 13 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. In regard to hauling in boards, they collected 24 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 20 assists in this contest while creating 14 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Regarding defense, Wake Forest let their opponent shoot 50.0% from the field on 32 out of 64 shooting. SMU doled out 23 dimes and had 8 steals in the game. In addition, SMU grabbed 35 rebounds (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. SMU finished the contest at 72.2% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of 18 attempts. They buried 14 out of their 28 attempts from three-point range. With respect to fouls, the Demon Deacons ended up finishing with 17 while SMU accumulated 17 fouls.

Juke Harris is one player who was a major factor in the game. He finished 58.8% from the field and also distributed 3 assists. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins played and snagged 6 rebounds. He ended up with 27 points on 10 out of 17 shooting.

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Wake Forest will enter this game with a record of 11-8 on the campaign. They are averaging 80.9 pts per contest (93rd in the country) while connecting on 45.1% from the field. The Demon Deacons are shooting 33.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (175 of 524) and 75.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Wake Forest is collecting 33.9 boards per game and has totaled 286 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 162nd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 11.8 times per game and as a unit they commit 19.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Demon Deacons are forcing their opponents into 15.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.3 fouls. They give up 30.9% from beyond the arc while they are 239th in college in opponents points per game (75.8). The Demon Deacons defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.9% (485 of 1,105) and they surrender 35.6 boards per contest as a group. They currently rank 297th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 296 conceded on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Duke Blue Devils got the victory with a final of 80-50 when they faced Stanford. The Blue Devils pulled down 22 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 32 in the matchup. They also turned it over 9 times, while earning 11 steals in this matchup. Stanford earned 18 fouls in this game which took the Blue Devils to the charity stripe for a total of 28 attempts. They were able to knock down 20 of them for a percentage of 71.4%. In terms of shots from distance, Duke buried 4 of 10 attempts (40.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Blue Devils ended up shooting 28 for 50 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.0%. The Blue Devils allowed Stanford to convert 19 of their 54 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.2% in the game. They finished 24.0% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 of 25 and ended up going 6 out of 10 at the free throw line (60.0%). When talking about rebounding, Duke permitted Stanford to pull down 25 in total (10 offensive).

Cameron Boozer ended up having an impact for the Blue Devils for the game. He made 12 of 17 in this game for a field goal rate of 70.6%, and had 14 rebounds. He scored 30 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood and had 3 dimes for the contest.

Duke has a record of 17-1 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Blue Devils are connecting on 49.8% from the floor, which ranks them 22nd in college. Duke has totaled 1,539 pts for the campaign (85.5 per game) and they collect 40.0 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 17.6 times per game (33rd in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 11.5 times per contest. The Blue Devils are responsible for committing 16.7 fouls every game and they connect on 70.8% from the free throw line.

The Blue Devils are ranked 18th in the country in points given up per game with 65.1. They are forcing their opponents into 14.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 39.2% from the field (18th in Division 1). The Duke defense gives up 30.3% on 3-pointers (141 of 466) and their opponents are converting on 72.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 12.1 dimes and 31.0 boards every game, which has them ranked 76th and 27th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Wake Forest

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