Texas vs. Duke Odds, Preview, Picks, and Prediction, Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Use Code WWWC On Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns and Duke Blue Devils will play in the Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte, and we have you ready to go with our Texas vs. Duke prediction, odds, and preview. Tip-off from the Spectrum Center is at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Duke is an eight-point spread favorite, and the game total is 153 points scored.
This is both teams' season opener and the first matchup between these programs since 2017, when the Blue Devils held off the Longhorns 85-78 in overtime at the Moda Center in Portland. They are 5-0 all-time against the Horns. If you want the Texas vs. Duke prediction, read on to get our top NCAAB predictions and increase your bankroll!
Longhorns are a new-look team after firing Rodney Terry
Texas finished 19-16 last season, including a 6-12 mark in SEC play, losing to Xavier in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament. The disappointing result prompted the dismissal of head coach Rodney Terry, who went 62-37 in three years in Austin but never built off his Elite Eight appearance in the 2022-23 season. The Longhorns replaced Terry with former Arizona and Xavier coach Sean Miller, who has four Elite Eight appearances under his belt, but has never advanced further. He will lead a new-look Texas squad in year one, as five collegiate transfers and a few highly-ranked recruits were brought in to revitalize the program.
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While the influx of new blood was necessary, Miller did an excellent job retaining three key players, senior guards Jordan Pope (11.0 PPG), Tramon Mark (10.6 PPG), and Chendell Weaver (6.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG). All three could start, with Pope (35 percent three-point shooter) and Mark (reliable off-ball playmaker and secondary scorer) the most likely. Weaver could fit in at the two or three in a smaller lineup, bringing "Three-and-D" two-way versatility. The most notable addition is junior forward Dailyn Swain, who followed Miller from Xavier after averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. Long and athletic, Swain had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the Musketeers' First Four win over Texas during March Madness.
Swain certainly isn't the only significant acquisition the Longhorns made in the portal, though. St. John's transfer Simeon Wilcher (8.0 PPG) brings depth to the guard position, and Florida Atlantic 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis flashed as a freshman last season, averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds on 67.7 percent shooting. A couple of other Horns players to watch against the Blue Devils are Purdue wing transfer Camden Heide, a career 41 percent three-point shooter, and Xavier/Long Beach State senior transfer Lassina Traore, a two-time All-Big West center who missed last season with a knee injury.
Texas Longhorns Basketball Injury Report: No injuries to report for Tuesday's game against Duke.
Duke is a national title contender
Duke went 35-4 last season, winning the ACC regular season title (19-1 record) and conference tournament championship before reaching the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, where the Blue Devils lost to second-ranked Houston. With one-and-done frosh Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel, and Khaman Maluach off to the NBA, head coach Jon Scheyer reloaded with the nation's top recruiting class, but can they go a step further than last season's squad?
The Blue Devils are the favorite to win the ACC in 2025-26, returning six players and welcoming in five freshmen and one college transfer. They return a solid core, with Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, Maliq Brown, and Patrick Ngongba II back to complement the team's incoming stars. They didn't lose a single player to the transfer portal, a sigh of relief for Scheyer after he watched five rotation players depart in the spring of 2024. Returnees Evans (6.8 PPG) and Foster (4.9 PPG) will man the backcourt after both averaged roughly 14 minutes per game last season. Foster saw less time on the court than he did as a freshman (25 minutes/game with 15 starts), but he will have ample playing time as the Blue Devils' starting point guard. Evans returned for his sophomore season after considering the NBA Draft, giving the team a lengthy three-point threat at shooting guard.
The headliner of this season's Duke squad is undoubtedly five-star freshman forward Cameron Boozer, who will be in the conversation for the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The skilled son of former Blue Devil and NBA star Carlos, Boozer has the size, athleticism, and skill set to make an impact from the start. He will be joined in the starting lineup by five-star freshman Nikolas Khamenia or Dame Sarr, an international project from Italy, and the senior center Ngongba, who appeared in 30 games off the bench last season. As for the reserves, the senior glue guy Brown and freshman point guard Cayden Boozer are two names to watch.
Duke Blue Devils Basketball Injury Report: No injuries to report for Tuesday's game versus Texas.
Texas vs. Duke Pick and Preview
Spread Pick for Texas vs. Duke
- Blue Devils -8 (5 Units)
Duke doesn't appear to be a deep team on paper, but its roster is versatile, allowing Scheyer to mix and match when creating lineups. The Blue Devils are more skilled than the Longhorns, with length to disrupt passing lanes. Texas will look to get out in transition for fast-break buckets, but if Duke can get back on defense, its half-court zone will be tough for UT to beat. While the Longhorns have solid frontcourt talent, both of their big men missed their closed scrimmages with lower leg injuries. Vokietaitis is expected to play, and Traore will also dress, but if one or both are limited, they will be in for a challenge boxing out Boozer, a terrific offensive rebounder.
There's no denying that Texas has an experienced, confident backcourt capable of disrupting Duke's shooters on defense and "getting theirs" on offense. Wilcher and Heide bring additional wing depth off the bench if the starters are struggling or in foul trouble. That said, their impact will be limited if the Blue Devils dominate on the glass with their physicality and length. That will be especially true if the Longhorns' big men are hobbled.
This game will be played in Charlotte, making it a de facto home game for Duke. I believe Texas will hang for most of the game, staying within two or three possessions until the last few minutes, when the Blue Devils will pull away to cover the spread.
Over/Under Pick for Texas vs. Duke
- Under 153 (5 Units)
Duke will attempt to slow down the pace on Tuesday night, preventing the Longhorns from exploiting them in transition with their higher-tempo attack. I believe Texas will have some success in this department early in the game, but the Blue Devils will clamp down defensively in the second half. They will also have a significant advantage in the rebounding department and are long enough to force Texas into costly turnovers. Duke is slower-tempo (274th nationally in possessions per game last season), meaning its second-chance opportunities gained from offensive rebounds will take up more game clock and reduce the total number of possessions. If the Longhorns' centers were healthy, I could see this game going over the number, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Bet on the under at 153!
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