Dartmouth vs Duke Odds, Pick | NCAAB Betting Guide

Editor's Note: Mark Mitchell (lower body) is out and listed as day-to-day.

Duke enters every season with high expectations. If anything, last year was the first time in a while that the fanbase and national media were willing to give the Blue Devils a little leeway, as Duke ushered in the first season of the Jon Scheyer era.

Now Scheyer returns for year two, joined by several of the key pieces from last year's roster. Jeremy Roach is a four-year starter and Kyle Filipowski shocked many by returning to Durham instead of turning pro. The rest of the lineup is dotted with capable and talented role players, many of whom could step forward into the spotlight this season.

The expectations are back. The first test is far from the toughest, with the Dartmouth Big Green visiting Cameron Indoor.

Can Duke take care of business as big favorites? I have a Dartmouth vs. Duke pick and prediction, including a college basketball betting guide for Monday.

It's a little cynical to take time discussing the most down-trodden programs in college basketball, yet if you were to take the time to do so, Dartmouth might make the short list.

The Big Green haven't played in the NCAA tournament since 1959, which is particularly shocking for a program that's in a league with just eight schools. Dartmouth hasn't finished with a winning record this century. Ivy League stalwart Penn has 21 seasons with 20+ wins since Dartmouth last did so, again in 1959.

Head coach David McLaughlin has his work cut out for him. He brings back two double-figure scorers from last season in junior Ryan Cornish and senior Dusan Neskovic, but the rest of the lineup relies on players returning and greatly increasing their production.

In today's college basketball landscape, even in the Ivy League, that's generally a tough ask.

This is a bottom-half of the Ivy League team, strolling into play a national title hopeful on the road.

This year's Duke roster is built not just to win this season, but to come out firing early in the season. Unlike recent editions of the Blue Devils, this team is built on returning talent.

That manifests itself in two forms. The first are the mega-experienced upperclassmen, Roach and Ryan Young. Roach is the first four-year starer at Duke since Kyle Singler, while Young has played in 122 collegiate games across his time at Northwestern and Duke.

These two are expected to provide a veteran presence in the backcourt and around the rim, clearing the way for increased production from last year's freshmen.

Scheyer's first class of freshmen played well last year, and now largely return with a chance to really make an impact. Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively II left for the NBA, but Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell remain in Durham.

Their development will set the bar for this Blue Devil team, especially Filipowski. After coming to Duke as a top-five recruit, he led Duke in scoring and rebounding as a freshman. He was, however, overwhelmed at times. He only shot 28% from long range and his turnovers nearly doubled his assists.

This season, will the 7-footer make his mark in the paint, shooting a better field goal percentage than last year's mark of 44.1%? Or will his play on the perimeter improve with better outside shooting and more playmaking ability?

If the answer to either (or both) of those questions is a resounding "Yes," he could be an All-American and Duke will be back in position to contend for a national title.

Since 2013, Duke's home opener has come against a non-power conference team 10 times. Often these opponents have resembled Dartmouth: Siena, Presbyterian and Army (more than once). In those 10 games, Duke is 10-0 SU, with an average margin of victory of 29.9.

There are certainly Ivy League teams capable of testing this Duke team in its season debut. The Big Green don't fit that bill.

Duke is too big and too fast for Dartmouth, which doesn't have the shooting prowess to keep itself in the game late.

I like the Blue Devils giving the points, especially in the first half.

Pick: Duke 1H

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