Duke vs. Virginia NCAAB Preview
Where: John Paul Jones Arena – Charlottesville, Virginia
When: Wednesday, February 15, 2017, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils (+5) at Virginia Cavaliers (-5) – view all NCAA basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Writer’s Pick: Duke Blue Devils (+5)
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Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (20-5, 8-4 ACC)
Don’t look now, but Duke are doing that thing they do, which is win, win, win. Despite letting a double-digit second half lead slip, they still survived to pull out a 64-62 home win over Clemson. That win was the Blue Devils’ fifth in a row, and their third since head coach Mike Krzyzewski returned to the bench following back surgery.
Grayson Allen finally cooled off from his recent hot streak as he finished with just 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting against Clemson, but Luke Kennard picked up the slack with 25 points. Allen had previously averaged 21.5 points over his previous four games, including 25 points and 7 3-pointers in Duke’s big 86-78 win over North Carolina.
With Allen, Kennard, and Jayson Tatum all playing well, the Blue Devils are back to being a formidable force. Tatum, in particular, could be an X-factor against Virginia. The freshman forward always seems to raise his game against ranked opposition. He’s averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds in five games against ranked foes this season.
Duke has had an outstanding record against Virginia over the years. The Blue Devils have gone 17-3 in their last 20 meetings, and 9-2 since Tony Bennett took over the Hoos in 2009.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (18-6, 8-4 ACC)
The Virginia Cavaliers dropped another close contest as they fell 80-78 in double-overtime to state rivals Virginia Tech. Senior point guard London Perrantes had 22 points for the Hoos, who have now lost their third game – all on the road – in their last five games. Those losses to Tech, Syracuse, and a then-No. 1 Villanova have been by a total of just eight points.
The Hoos have been a different team at home, though. Since their close loss to Florida State, they’ve won their last four home games in a row with an average margin of victory of 17 points.
Virginia’s defense remains as stout as ever. They’re currently No. 3 in KenPom.com’s defensive efficiency metric. That consistently great defense has held Duke to under 70 points in five consecutive home games.
The Hoos have only won twice out of those five games, but that defense has helped keep them within striking distance of the Blue Devils in recent matchups. They’re 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 meetings against Duke.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke (+5) embraces the underdog role and beats Virginia in their own backyard.
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