In their final home game of the season, the Virginia Tech Hokies (20-9, 9-7 ACC) host the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (24-5, 12-4 ACC) at Cassell Coliseum. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, February 26, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 160 points with Duke opening as a 5.5-point favorite.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Prediction
The Blue Devils will be hoping for a similar outcome after beating the Syracuse Orange in their last matchup, 60-44. The Blue Devils knocked down 14 of their 16 free throws (87.5 percent), while the Orange had a turnover percentage of 23.1 (above their season average of 16.0). Duke was led by Wendell Carter Jr., who recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The last time the Hokies played, they fell to the Louisville Cardinals, 75-68. Louisville out-rebounded Virginia Tech. The Cardinals had more offensive rebounds (13 vs. seven), defensive rebounds (31 vs. 20) and total rebounds (44 vs. 27). Virginia Tech’s Justin Robinson had a good game, leading the team in scoring with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength as the high-powered offense of Virginia Tech takes on the elite defense of Duke. The Hokies rank 26th in offensive efficiency, while the Blue Devils are 52nd in defensive efficiency.
Duke comes into the game with records of 24-5 straight up (SU) and 18-9 against the spread (ATS). Blue Devils games tend to finish over the projected point total (59.3 percent).
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech owns records of 20-9 SU and 15-10 ATS. Hokies games have a slight tendency to finish over the total (54.2 percent).
Carter Jr. has averaged 15.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks over the last five games for Duke.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Grayson Allen scored a game-high 25 points and the Blue Devils beat the Hokies 74-52, covering as 10.5-point favorites. He also put up six assists. The game finished with a total of 126 points, which was 37.5 points below the projected point total of 163.5 points. The Blue Devils had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (40.7 vs. 10.7) and had a better free throw rate (0.135 vs. 0.061).
Duke Blue Devils at Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Pick
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Duke is 9-5 ATS with 10 overs and 4 unders.
At home, Virginia Tech is 8-5 ATS with 6 overs and 6 unders.
Duke ranks second in rebounds per game (42.0) while Virginia Tech ranks 226th (33.6).
The Blue Devils rank 13th in blocks per game (5.3) while the Hokies rank 204th (2.3).
Duke averages 17.8 assists per game, which ranks seventh in the NCAA. Virginia Tech ranks 156th in assists allowed per game (13.7).
The Blue Devils rank 150th in three pointers attempted per game (21.8) while the Hokies rank 264th in three pointers allowed per game (25.6).
Duke ranks 39th in steals per game (7.5) while Virginia Tech ranks 151st (5.8).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Duke is 5-0 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
Virginia Tech is 3-2 ATS with 5 unders over their last five games.
The Blue Devils’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 16.8, up from 16.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Hokies have scored an average of 64.4 points per game (16.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 64.6 points per game (7.6 below their season average).
