The Duke Blue Devils take on the Stanford Cardinal in Stanford, CA. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Duke is favored by 8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -410. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my Duke vs. Stanford predictions and college basketball picks for January 17, 2026.
Duke vs Stanford Prediction
My Pick: Duke -8.5 (Play to -10)
My Duke vs Stanford best bet is on the Blue Devils to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Duke vs. Stanford Odds
| Duke Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 148.5 -105 / -115 | -410 |
| Stanford Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 148.5 -105 / -115 | +320 |
- Duke vs Stanford spread: Duke -8.5
- Duke vs Stanford over/under: 148.5 points
- Duke vs Stanford moneyline: Duke -410, Stanford +320
Duke vs Stanford College Basketball Betting Preview
Duke Basketball
Duke had some closer calls in ACC play, but it heads to Palo Alto with a 5-0 conference record. The Blue Devils are also 2-3 against the spread in their five conference games.
The Blue Devils' defense is outstanding, ranking seventh in KenPom's offensive efficiency.
Their defensive length is imposing, and they limit teams to just 46% shooting from inside the arc. Cam Boozer at the four with one of Patrick Ngongba II or Maliq Brown at the five is a defensive group that'll live in opponents' nightmares.
All five Duke starters are 6-foot-5 or taller, which provides a huge defensive boost.
Early on, the Blue Devils' offense was Cam Boozer, Cam Boozer and more Cam Boozer. He's still putting up awesome stats, leading Duke with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game.
However, Isaiah Evans is coming on, scoring 17+ points in all five ACC games. It's not always super efficient, but he can be a lightning rod for this offense.
Finding a third option is proving to be difficult, though. Sometimes it's Caleb Foster, others it's Ngongba and then sometimes it's Nikolas Khamenia. A true third option has to emerge.
Duke hasn't shot the ball well from deep, connecting on 34% of its 3s with 47% of its shots being treys. The perimeter shots have to fall for Duke to reach its ceiling.
Stanford Basketball
Is Stanford a legitimate NCAA Tournament team? Perhaps that conversation has more legs than it did a few weeks ago. The Cardinal have snagged upset wins over UNC and Louisville in Palo Alto, but I still find it hard to trust them.
To beat and compete with a team like Duke, Stanford needs another superman-like performance from freshman Ebuka Okorie.
The gifted youngster scored 36 points with nine assists in Stanford's win over UNC. The Cardinal went to a high-ball screen for Okorie, and once the Heels began to hard hedge with Henri Veesaar, he got a clean lane to the hoop and also could dish to shooters.
Okorie can lead Stanford to huge upset wins, but it'll have no chance if he's off at all.
I'll lay out like this: Stanford has five losses, and Okorie is 17-for-65 (26%) from the field in those games. And it's not like Stanford lost to great teams; it lost to Seattle, Notre Dame, UNLV and two tourney teams in Saint Louis and Virginia.
The Cardinal also needs a big showing from their three floor-spacers: Ryan Agarwal, Benny Gealer and Jeremy Dent-Smith. Agarwal and Gealer rattle in over 40% of their shots from deep, and Dent-Smith made some pivotal shots to beat UNC.
Defensively, Stanford will need to dive into its bag of tricks to force turnovers. It forces turnovers on 20% of defensive possessions, but it ranks 64th in defensive efficiency. What holds Stanford back is its lack of rim-deterrence. Opponents shot 51% on 2s against the Cardinal, which ranks 181st nationally.
Oskar Giltay is their only shot-blocker, but he's always in foul trouble. If Giltay can't stay on the floor, it'll be tough to battle Boozer and all the bigs Duke has at its disposal.
Duke vs. Stanford Betting Analysis
I'm looking to fade Stanford, which is getting less than 10 points at home. I know going against Stanford, which pulled upsets against UNC and Louisville, might look crazy, but Duke has the proper personnel to handle the Cardinal.
Duke can throw size at Okorie and force him into making quicker decisions. The Blue Devils won't be as puzzled by his elite pick-and-roll play like UNC, which could limit what Okorie does.
Nobody else on Stanford's roster can create shots, so when its star is struggling, it could be an ugly game. Just like when Stanford scored 55 against Virginia or 47 against Notre Dame.
My Pick: Duke -8.5 (Play to -10)
