The Virginia Tech Hokies are off to Tobacco Road to take on the Duke Blue Devils. The Hokies are riding high after knocking off in-state rival Virginia and have won five of their last six conference games. V-Tech opened as an 11-point dog to upset the Dookies.
The Blue Devils have looked out of sorts recently, dropping three of their last five games and falling to 12th in the national rankings. Duke is 8-4 SU in conference games this season and will welcome a return to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where they are 13-1 SU in 14 games. The Blue Devils will also be short-handed in the frontcourt as superstar freshman Marvin Bagley III has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Virginia Tech is 7-5 SU in ACC play this season and has been one of the hottest teams from behind the arc in its conference, averaging 39 percent from three, tops in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hokies have also been a decent spread bet vs Duke, covering in three of the last four games in this matchup.
The total opened at 163 and while that may seem like a high number for college basketball, these are two teams that could get bettors a payout. Duke is the second highest scoring team in the country, averaging just under 89 points per game, and the OVER has hit in three of its last four games. When you factor in that the OVER has hit in four of the Hokies’ last five games on the road, this game could be an offensive explosion waiting to happen.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The Virginia Tech Hokies opened as 11-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at OddsShark, including Sportsbook. The total was set to open a bit later (check out Sportsbook for the latest situation).
Virginia Tech Hokies vs Duke Blue Devils Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Duke Blue Devils currently sport a 20-5 record overall in NCAA basketball action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 14-10 ATS. The Virginia Tech Hokies are 18-7 and 13-8 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Blue Devils produce a 16-8 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Hokies have gone 14-7 against the totals betting line.
This college basketball game matches up the No. 28 (Duke) and the No. 253 (Virginia Tech) teams in the league, according to our current NCAA basketball power rankings.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits Duke's No. 1-ranked offense, averaging 88.76 PPG, against a Hokies defense that ranks No. 160 at 73.2 PPG. The Blue Devils' field-goal percentage has averaged 50.41% so far, less than the Hokies marksmen have achieved on the year, 51.36% per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Hokies got 20 points from Justin Robinson as Virginia Tech ran past Virginia 61-60 on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Blue Devils grabbed a 80-69 win over the Yellow Jackets on Sunday, behind a 23-point effort from Grayson Allen at Hank McCarmish Pavilion.
Next Betting Matchups
Virginia Tech home to Georgia Tech, Saturday, February 17
Duke at Clemson, Sunday, February 18