The Howard Bison take on the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, NC. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Duke is favored by -39.5 points on the spread, and the total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Howard vs. Duke prediction and college basketball picks for November 23, 2025.
Howard vs Duke Prediction
My Pick: Under 150.5
My Howard vs Duke best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Howard vs. Duke Odds
| Howard Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+39.5 -104 | 150.5 -110 / -110 | OFF |
| Duke Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-39.5 -118 | 150.5 -110 / -110 | OFF |
- Howard vs Duke spread: Duke -39.5
- Howard vs Duke over/under: 150.5 points
Howard vs Duke College Basketball Betting Preview
Howard Basketball
Kenny Blakeney has done a tremendous job at Howard. The Bison have been inside the KenPom top 300 just four times in the last 20 years; Blakeney is responsible for three of those finishes.
However, this season looks a little more like a rebuilding campaign, as the transfer portal didn't bear quite as much fruit as it has in the past.
This Bison team is playing at the slowest pace of Blakeney’s career, relative to the rest of the country. As of this writing, the Bison rank 258th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom.
The only other season close to it was 2024, when Howard landed 159th in the same category. Notably, that team was also built around the mismatch talents of burly forward Bryce Harris, who missed most of last season with injury.
Harris is listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, but he's an unstoppable force around the basket, and Howard’s offense focuses on getting him touches down low. He gets to the line consistently, he’s a force on the offensive glass and he is a terrific passer. Limiting his production is the key to slowing the Bison.
If Harris can’t get going, the scoring and creation workload falls to the guard trio of Cam Gillus, Alex Cotton and Travelle Bryson. Gillus has struggled badly with his decision-making (17 turnovers in five games), but his quickness allows him to get into the lane at will.
Cotton is the Bison’s best shooter, while Bryson has been better in the mid-range (only 1-of-13 from deep so far this season).
Defensively, Howard has held up reasonably well this season, limiting low-major opponents to meager outputs. The Bison’s worst performance on this end – 1.22 allowed to Missouri in the season-opener – required the opponent to shoot 52.6% from beyond the arc to post that efficiency.
Duke Basketball
Duke is undefeated at 6-0 and already possesses two power-conference wins away from Cameron Indoor (Texas, Kansas). The Blue Devils are sitting atop KenPom’s rankings, looking every bit like a top flight national title contender.
The scary part is they're nowhere near a finished product. The point guard rotation between Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster is still somewhat unsettled, and the Blue Devils have some hiccups on both ends of the floor that are typical for a young team incorporating many new pieces.
The Blue Devils must also figure out how to succeed with Isaiah Evans on the floor. The skinny sniper is a volcanic scorer, but Duke is currently -42.6 points per 100 possessions when he's on the court, per CBB Analytics (yes, -42.6!!).
He can get lost defensively, and his offensive game is largely predicated on launching any time he sees daylight. Jon Scheyer has to get him more in sync with the team’s flow.
Ok, that’s a lot of negativity for a team that's been a steamroller so far (6-0 ATS with a +8.3 average cover margin). Cameron Boozer has justifiably risen to the top tier of National Player of the Year candidates, displaying his preternatural feel for the game to go with tremendous size, physicality and touch.
International rookie Dame Sarr has been a two-way menace, with his offense being better than advertised to go with elite wing defense.
Finally, the center platoon of Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown has dominated in differing ways. Ngongba is a juggernaut around the rim and on the glass, while Brown’s lethal defensive versatility and astute passing fill key roles alongside his more shot-happy teammates.
The Blue Devils are simply too deep, big and athletic for most opponents.
Howard vs. Duke Betting Analysis
As part of this mini multi-team event (MTE), Howard has the benefit of playing against Niagara at Duke already on Saturday.
The Bison will be familiar with Cameron Indoor Stadium’s shooting background and sightlines. However, that could be fully offset by having to play back-to-back, as opposed to Duke’s day off (the Blue Devils clobbered Niagara on Friday).
The Bison have faced one power-conference foe, hosting Missouri on opening night. The visiting Tigers quickly outclassed the Bison, immediately grabbing a double-digit lead and holding onto it all game for a 21-point final margin (a narrow Missouri cover).
Duke is an entirely different animal from Missouri, so this spread is understandably gigantic.
It’s hard to handicap such an enormous number. I don't envision Howard rolling over under Blakeney, a Duke grad who played four seasons under Mike Krzyzewski from 1991-95.
Still, even Duke’s ludicrously talented backups could overwhelm the Bison, especially given the Blue Devils’ extra rest.
My angle here is on the total. This slowed-down version of Howard — paired with the promising defensive efforts to start the year — give me the ammunition needed to back the under.
Duke can also swallow up the undersized Harris inside, so Howard may struggle to crack 50 points here. I think this is far too high, and I would bet it down to 145.
My Pick: Under 150.5
