Coming off their worst loss of the season, the Virginia Cavaliers look to get back on track at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday night. Despite the series being rather tight recently, Virginia has had the much more impressive season entering this game at 15-4 SU and 10-8-1 ATS. On the flip side, Duke (9-8 SU, 5-12 ATS) is on a two-game winning streak after losing three straight to kick off the month of February.
- Date/Time: February 20, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Virginia -2 | O/U 132.5 (Line History)
- Virginia vs Duke Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Coming off an extremely vulnerable showing against Florida State, UVA enters this game at a pick-em against Duke. Before the loss to FSU, this Virginia team was one of the hottest teams in college basketball, winning 11 of the previous 12. Despite the hiccup, the Cavs are looking to cover nine of their last 12 against the Blue Devils. The total for this contest opened at 132.5 but has dropped a point since.
Virginia Cavaliers News & Notes
Don’t let one game fool you, Virginia is still one of the best teams in the nation. Entering this game top 10 in defensive scoring and rebounding, the Cavaliers have separated themselves from the rest of the pack within the ACC. The Cavaliers are simply a balanced team on both sides of the ball. Even though the emphasis from Tony Bennett has been and will always be on the defensive side, the Cavaliers do rank top 20 offensively in field goal percentage, and even more impressively top 10 in three-point and free throw percentage.
Still leading the way for this team are the senior big fellas Sam Hauser and Jay Huff. Hauser leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 14.8 and 6.9 respectively. Complimenting Hauser on the inside is senior Jay Huff who leads the ACC in blocks at 2.4 per contest.
Duke Blue Devils News & Notes
Is there still a glimpse of hope for this Duke team? Despite losing three in a row as favorites to kick off February, Coach K has turned the season around slightly blowing out the competition in the last two games. Duke comes into this Saturday matchup winning the last two games against Wake Forest and NC State by an average of 20 points.
Offensively, this team has gotten into a groove averaging slightly over 80 points in the last six games. The Blue Devils still have had their ATS woes and have only covered the spread in five out of the last 17 games. Leading the way as a clear MVP for this team is a sophomore stretch forward Matthew Hurt. The potential NBA draft pick is averaging over 18 points and six rebounds per contest.
Betting Pick: Virginia Moneyline (-110)
I see this line as a clear overreaction for Duke. Bettors are seeing a recent blowout loss for UVA and overvaluing Duke after two dominant wins. UVA enters this game with way too much length and seniority for the Blue Devils to handle. Look for a true top 10 defensive team in the nation to dominate on the road from start to finish.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- Duke is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games.
- The OVER has hit in 4 of Duke’s last 5 games.
- Virginia is 9-2 SU in its last 11 road games.
