2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Mount St. Mary's vs. Duke

The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers won their play-in game on Wednesday but now have to take on one of the top teams in the field. As of this writing, the Duke Blue Devils are the biggest favorites on Friday's slate.

To see thoughts on other games, check out our full men's college basketball tournament predictions page. But for Mount St. Mary's vs. Duke, here are my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball betting odds.

Betting Picks for Mount St. Mary's vs. Duke

Duke Over 86.5 Points (-104)

This is a Quad 4 game for the Blue Devils, and in their five such matchups this season, they've scored 96, 100, 72, 88, and 89 points. The only game where they failed to score 87+ points came about when Duke played their third game across seven days, which likely contributed to a below-average shooting night.

Duke shouldn't have any trouble scoring at will against Mount St. Mary's. The Blue Devils rank second in adjusted offensive efficiency, per Bart Torvik, and the Mountaineers are just 200th in adjusted defense. Mount St. Mary's not only doesn't force turnovers (258th in defensive turnover rate), but they do little to prevent threes (339th in three-point rate allowed).

Cooper Flagg (ankle) will be available to play on Friday, which is another promising sign. Even if he sees reduced minutes, we should still have confidence in a Duke team that won the ACC tournament largely without Flagg.

Kon Knueppel Over 15.5 Points (-110)

Kon Knueppel has scored 17 or more points in five straight games and has averaged 18.5 points per game this month. If Flagg is on any minutes restriction -- something that wouldn't be surprising in a likely blowout -- Knueppel could very well lead the team in scoring on Friday.

Mount St. Mary's tendency to allow threes at a high clip should further help Knueppel rack up the points. The freshman averages 5.6 three-point attempts per game and converts them 39.2% of the time.

Knueppel is practically automatic when he reaches the charity stripe, too, leading the team with a 91.4% free throw percentage.

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Which bets stand out to you for today's games? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest men's college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.