The Duke Blue Devils will get a shot at avenging their loss to the Virginia Cavaliers when they travel to Charlottesville for this marquee ACC showdown. Will Duke get what they want? Or will Virginia trip up the Blue Devils again? Check out our preview of this Duke-Virginia ACC college basketball matchup.
Betting Preview for the Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Cavaliers NCAA College Basketball Game on February 23 2022
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
When: Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils (odds) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (odds) – view all 2022 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (odds)
Record: 23-4 Overall/13-3 Conference
Since their 69-68 loss to Virginia at home on Feb. 7, the Blue Devils have gone 4-0 straight up. They also covered the spread in two of those games, including in their dominant 88-70 win in Durham over the Florida State Seminoles last Saturday. Prior to that, Duke tamed the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a 76-74 victory at home. Paolo Banchero has a chip on his shoulder going into this rematch against Virginia, as he only scored nine points to go with nine rebounds in 38 minutes during the loss to the Cavaliers. Banchero is a way better player than his scoring output in that game suggests, so look for him to come out with stronger performance on Wednesday. Against the Seminoles, Banchero had 17 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes. The Blue Devils went 18/22 from the free-throw line in the first meeting, while Virginia was just 5/9. The disparity in free-throw chances could show up again in the rematch, given the talent of Duke’s playmakers.
Duke, which is ninth in the nation with 80.1 points per game, is 4-1 against the spread in its last five contests as the road team.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (odds)
Record: 17-10 Overall/11-6 Conference
The win over Duke only showed that even though the Cavaliers are not having their usually great season under Tony Bennett, Virginia remains a very dangerous opponent for anyone in the nation. The Cavaliers are coming off a 74-71 road win against the Miami Hurricanes last Saturday, with the Hoos limiting the Canes to only 41.8 percent shooting from the floor. Virginia allowed the Blue Devils to shoot 42.3 percent in the initial meeting between these teams while also holding Duke to just 52 attempts from the field. Virginia is known for its dreadfully slow pace, and that’s going to limit the Blue Devils’ opportunities to score. In fact, the Cavaliers are 357th in the nation in terms of adjusted tempo and 15th in the ACC in that same department. The Hoos’ tight defense also led to 14 turnovers by Duke, and having that same success again on that end of the floor will be huge for Virginia, which is fifth in the ACC in defensive steals percentage.
Virginia is 4-0 against the spread in its last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 67-63.
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