It’s a classic case of offense vs. defense when the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils pay the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlotte a visit to face unbeaten No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. Will the Blue Devils get coach Mike Krzyzewski his 1,001st career win? Or will the Cavaliers add Duke to their list of victims this season?
In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors are looking to get back on track after getting tripped by the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. They’ll next face the Utah Jazz, who will have another crack at beating the Dubs this season. You can read a preview of that game here.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlotte
When: Saturday, January 31, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Cavaliers – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils
Mike Krzyzewski’s career win record in Division I basketball remained at 1,000 victories after the Blue Devils suffered a disappointing 77-73 loss against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Wednesday. With the loss, the Blue Devils are now in danger of falling outside of the top five in the rankings. A win against Virginia on Saturday however, will be big for the Blue Devils who are now 4-3 in conference play and 17-3 overall.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Blue Devils’ loss was largely due to their inability to put the cuffs on Notre Dame’s hotshot Jerian Grant, who dropped 23 points in the ball game. That being said, the Blue Devils still likely could’ve avoided a loss had they fared well on the foul line.
Duke is 12th in the nation in scoring with a 81.6 PPG clip but failed to meet that mark partly because they went just 10-for-20 on their free throws. They’re going to need to knock down their free throws against a Virginia defense that doesn’t give too many scoring opportunities. Duke is shooting 70.2 percent from the charity stripe this season.
Jahlil Okafor, Duke’s top scorer (18.5 PPG) and rebounder (9.0 RPG), had a monster game against the Fighting Irish as he finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds. With the looming challenge of Virginia’s defense, Okafor must get scoring support from the likes of fellow starters Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook. The backcourt duo scored 14 and 15 points, respectively against Notre Dame.
Will Duke halt the streaking Cavaliers? Create a betting account now and start sharpening your betting skills for the approaching March Madness.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia survived a gritty stand by the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday, coming up with a 50-47 win to improve their flawless record to 19-0 overall.
The Cavaliers were down 43-33 at one point in the game, but thanks to the heroics of Justin Anderson and the team’s stout defense, the Cavs were able to climb back into the ball game and notch the win. Anderson—the team’s scoring leader with 13.9 PPG—scored 12 points, including a triple that sparked a Cavs’ 12-0 run in the second half.
Defense has been the Cavs’ primary weapon this season, and it will have to show up anew against a high-scoring Duke squad. Virginia doesn’t have enough firepower on offense to match the Blue Devils, as the Cavs are averaging 68.3 PPG this season. Over their last two games, the Cavs are even worse, mustering just 53.5 PPG. However, they have the defense to compensate for their lack of scoring punch. Take for example the brutal treatment they administered on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on January 22, when they limited their opponents to only 24.5 percent field goal shooting on their way to a lopsided 57-28 win.
Thus far this season, the Cavs are No. 1 in defense with just 49.2 PPG allowed.
Since 2012, the Cavs are 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings with Duke.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 68-64.
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