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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will face off with the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena. We're here to share our college basketball odds series, make a Wake Forest-Virginia prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Wake Forest is coming off a 77-69 loss to the Duke Blue Devils last Monday in North Carolina. Initially, they trailed 29-27 at halftime. They were unable to rally to win. Significantly, Hunter Sallis led the way with 22 points. Andrew Carr added 12 points. Yet, the rest of the starting lineup combined for only 17 points. And the bench was not that much better. Overall, the Deacon Demons shot just 39.1 percent from the field, including just 23.1 percent from beyond the arc (6 for 26). They lost despite nine steals, which helped force 13 turnovers. The Blue Devils shot 47.3 percent against them. Additionally, they had 25 free-throw chances, of which they made 18.
Virginia is coming off a 74-63 loss to Pittsburgh last Tuesday at home. At first, they trailed 35-31 at halftime. They were unable to muster a rally. Ultimately, Reece Beekman led the way with 19 points. Isaac McKneely added 15 points. Unfortunately, the rest of the starting lineup combined for just 15 points. The bench also struggled. All together, the Cavs shot 50 percent from the field. Yet, they were only 28.6 percent (4 for 14) from beyond the arc. They also lost the board battle 31-19, which included allowing the Panthers to nab nine offensive rebounds.
Virginia leads the series 18-16 since 2000. Recently, the Demon Deacons destroyed the Cavaliers 66-47 last month at home. Wake Forest comes into this game with a record of 16-8, including 8-5 in the ACC. Meanwhile, Virginia will come into this showdown with a 19-6 mark, including 10-4 in the ACC.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Wake Forest-Virginia Odds
Wake Forest: +3.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +132
Virginia: -3.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -160
Over: 128.5 (-110)
Under: 128.5 (-110)
How to Watch Wake Forest vs. Virginia
Time: 12:05 PM ET/9:05 AM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
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Why Wake Forest Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Demon Deacons will come into this showdown with a 12-11-1 mark against the spread. Yet, they are just 1-6 against the spread when they have been the underdog. Wake Forest is also 2-6 against the spread on the road. Moreover, they are 0-5 against the spread as a road underdog. The Demon Deacons are also 6-6-1 against the spread against the ACC.
Sallis is the leader. Ultimately, he is averaging 18.7 points per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field, including 40.3 percent from the triples. Kevin Miller is solid. So far, he is averaging 15.7 points per game. But he could always stand to shoot better. Unfortunately, he is only shooting 46.3 percent from the field, including 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. Carr will be the next option. Currently, he is averaging 14 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Carr is also shooting 54 percent from the field, including 40.3 percent from the triples. Meanwhile, Cameron Hildreth is averaging 14 points per game. He is shooting 45.1 percent from the field, including 36.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Wake Forest will cover the spread if they shoot the ball efficiently. Then, they need to avoid getting into foul trouble.
Why Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cavaliers come into this matchup with a 14-10-1 record against the spread. Likewise, they are 12-7 against the spread when they have been the favorites. The Cavs are also 9-4 against the spread at home. Also, they are 9-4-1 against the spread when they have been the home favorite. Virginia is also 8-5-1 against the spread against the ACC.
Beekman is the guy who stirs the ship. Currently, he is averaging 14 points per game. But he is also shooting only 45.3 percent from the field, including 29.7 percent from the triples. Therefore, he must take better shots. McNeely is his tag-team partner. At the moment, he is averaging 12.5 points per game. While he is shooting 42.7 percent from the field, he is also hitting 47.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers would love to see others step up. At the moment, no one else averages more than nine points.
Virginia will cover the spread if they can find open space and hit their open shots. Next, they need to box out and win the board battle to prevent Wake Forest from getting second-chance opportunities.
Final Wake Forest-Virginia Prediction & Pick
Wake Forest seems to be a different team on the road. Likewise, Virginia plays much better at home. Expect that trend to continue as the Cavaliers do everything they can to protect their home court. They also want to avenge that ugly loss from last month. Cavaliers cover the spread in this one in front of their fans.
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Final Wake Forest-Virginia Prediction & Pick: Virginia -3.5 (-105)
