The Virginia Cavaliers take on the Duke Blue Devils. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Virginia Duke prediction and pick. Find how to watch Virginia Duke.
The Virginia Cavaliers are viewed as a team which is on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but has a lot of work to do in order to make March Madness. The Cavaliers still play quality defense under head coach Tony Bennett, but their offense is poor and is a constant limitation. Virginia was an elite program when it had high-level shotmakers such as Kyle Guy and a guard — Ty Jerome — who could orchestrate the offense with a deft touch and put teammates in position to get high-quality looks at the basket. There isn't a game-changing offensive player on this team. Bennett has found it hard to recruit players into his system despite winning the 2019 national championship. It takes a special kind of player to play for Bennett and his offense. Not everyone is willing to make the sacrifices on offense which go into this style of play, and it has undeniably had a negative effect on recruiting.
Duke comes into this game one game behind North Carolina in the ACC standings. Duke lost to North Carolina earlier this season, but the Blue Devils will get Carolina at home next week. Beating Virginia here makes sure that the UNC game in a week will have the biggest possible amount of meaning. Anything which can make the Carolina game bigger for Duke is a big deal for Duke.
Here are the Virginia-Duke College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Virginia-Duke Odds
Virginia Cavaliers: +8.5 (-102)
Duke Blue Devils: -8.5 (-120)
Over: 126.5 (-115)
Under: 126.5 (-105)
How To Watch Virginia vs Duke
Time: 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Virginia Could Cover the Spread
The Cavaliers play great defense under coach Tony Bennett. Their games might be ugly and hard to watch, but they defend. It's not the kind of method which creates a top-tier team — not in light of how much Virginia's offense regularly struggles — but it is a method which often creates very close games. Virginia might struggle to win against good teams, but its defense enables it to avoid getting blown out.
What also has to be said here is that Virginia is on the NCAA Tournament bubble and therefore needs this game very badly. It's not quite a must-win, but it's certainly a game which, if won, would relieve a lot of bubble pressure and mean a lot to the Hoos.
Why Duke Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Devils are a better team than Virginia. They have more talented and skilled players with more offensive upside. Duke struggled on defense last week against Wake Forest and has struggled at times this season against elite shotmakers. Virginia doesn't have them, and that's the main reason Duke can not only win, but win decisively. Virginia might play great defense for 35 of the 40 minutes, but even five bad minutes of defense — five minutes in which Duke scores consistently — could derail Virginia's plans.
Final Virginia-Duke Prediction & Pick
Duke has home-court advantage, and Virginia's offense is extremely limited with no margin for error. Virginia plays hard but doesn't have the horses to hang in this game on the road. Take Duke.
Final Virginia-Duke Prediction & Pick: Duke -8.5
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