The time has finally come for the Atlantic Coastal Conference to crown their champion for the 2022-23 season. After a hard fought tournament, two ranked giants emerge as the last teams standing in Greensboro. The No. 21 Duke Blue Devils (25-8) will take on the No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers (25-6) in a must-see championship game in a stacked conference. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Duke-Virginia prediction and pick.
The Duke Blue Devils finished 3rd in the ACC, but find themselves in a familiar spot as they appear is yet another ACC Championship game. The Blue Devils won their last six games to close the season and opened their tournament with a comfortable win over Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils showed an even better side of their game by beating No. 14 Miami in the semifinals. They have a ton of momentum having won their last eight games and will look to lock up another banner for Cameron Indoor.
The Virginia Cavaliers finished tied for 1st in the ACC and entering the tournament as the 2-seed behind Miami. They were able to avenge a late-season loss to UNC by bouncing them out of the tournament. In their last game, the Cavaliers handled an extremely tough test in Clemson by a big margin in a game that never felt close. They're primed and ready to appear in their first tournament final since 2018 and will look to beat this Duke team for the second time this season.
Here are the Duke-Virginia college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
ACC Championship Odds: Duke-Virginia Odds
Duke: -2.5 (-115)
Virginia: +2.5 (-105)
Over: 123.5 (-110)
Under: 123.5 (-110)
How To Watch Duke vs. Virginia
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV, ESPN App
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Duke Could Cover The Spread
Duke is finally hitting their best stride of the year at the perfect time. In their previous two tournament wins, the Blue Devils shot 62% from the field against Pitt and followed it up with 55% from the field against Miami. They're shooting extremely well and have found comfort in the Greensboro Coliseum rims. They've also been doing a great job at limiting their turnovers and getting back on defense when they do give the ball up. The Blue Devils have been extremely aggressive on the boards and have been out-rebounding opponents in their wins. Look for them to bang down low with the Virginia bigs and grab some offensive rebounds.
Fro Duke, the key will be limiting turnovers. Virginia is extremely careful with the ball, so they can't rely on too many opportunities from points off turnovers against the Cavaliers. They'll have to find their offense in other places, swinging the ball around the wings and getting shooters open from three. If they can rebound the ball and hit their open threes, they'll be able to walk away as champs yet again.
Why Virginia Could Cover The Spread
Virginia has been playing great basketball during this tournament. They were able to offset a poor shooting night against North Carolina with their suffocating defense while only allowing six turnovers as a team. The Cavaliers shot much better against Clemson at 50% and were once again able to only turn the ball over six times. They have great fundamentals as a team and are always looking for the open player. Ball movement is Virginia's biggest strength, so look for them to be active with their passing against a Duke team that's looked sloppy on defense at times. If they can draw fouls and find open shots down low, they'll be able to win outright.
The Cavaliers haven't been a great covering team at 13-17 ATS on the year, and they haven't been much better on the road. However, coach Tony Bennett has his team playing with a March-mindset as the Cavaliers are 4-0 in neutral site games and have covered in all of those. They'll be extremely comfortable in playing another game here, so look for the Cavaliers to settle in on defense and work in the half-court. If they can slow down this Duke team and set the tempo of the contest, they should be able to cover the spread and even win the Championship game.
Final Duke-Virginia Prediction & Pick
This will be a tight game from start to finish. Odds makers are giving Duke the upper hand with the spread given how well they've been playing in this tournament. However, Virginia was able to handle this Duke team early in the year. In that game, the Virginia defense forced 22 turnovers and capitalized on their second-chance points. If they can continue to play the same kind of defense in this, despite losing Ben Vander Plas to injury, they'll be able to finish their regular season as ACC Champs. Let's take the underdogs in this one.
Final Duke-Virginia Prediction & Pick: Virginia Cavaliers ML (+126)
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