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Virginia Tech Hokies at Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview

The ACC will be on full display Wednesday night with a conference showdown between the Virginia Tech Hokies (8-4) and the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils (10-1). The Blue Devils will host this one at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.

Virginia Tech has won two of its last three games, including a 86-49 win over St. Bonaventure on Friday. In the win, Hunter Cattoor led all scorers with 21 points while Storm Murphy added 18.

The Hokies are susceptible to the bad beat, though, as they lost the previous matchup 62-57 to Dayton on the road.

Since losing to No. 14 Ohio State at the end of November, Duke has rattled off three straight victories, including an 87-56 win over Elon Saturday.

Trevor Keels led the way with 19 points for the Blue Devils, but they also had three others (Wendell Moore, Paolo Banchero, Jeremy Roach) score in double digits.

Duke is the favorite to win this one at home. They are -450 to win while the Hokies’ moneyline sits at +340. The spread features Virginia Tech +9 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 139 (-110).

More Odds

The Blue Devils are the favorites to win the ACC this season at -125. The Hokies have the fifth-best odds of winning the conference at +1500.

In terms of winning the National Championship, the Blue Devils have the second-best odds at +850. Virginia Tech is 10000 to win it all.

By The Numbers

Duke has one of the best offenses in the nation this season. They currently rank third in scoring averaging 86.1 points per game (89.8 at home). The Hokies rank 143rd averaging 71.6 points per game (66.8 on the road).

Defensively, Virginia Tech has been dominant this season. They rank sixth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 56.5 points per game. The Blue Devils rank 68th, allowing 64.4 points (60.6 at home).

Virginia Tech Looking To Upset Duke In Conference Showdown

After losing their first conference matchup to Wake Forest earlier in the season, the Hokies will look to bounce back to pick up their first ACC win Wednesday. To do so, they are going to have to take down one of the top teams in the nation in the Blue Devils.

Leading the way for head coach Mike Young’s Hokies is senior forward Keve Aluma. In 12 games this season, he is averaging 14.2 points on 50.4% shooting. He is also adding 6.1 rebounds and a block per game.

Other major contributors for Virginia Tech include junior guard Nahiem Alleyne (10.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists), junior guard Hunter Cattoor (10.3 points, four rebounds), and senior forward Justyn Mutts (9.4 points, 7.4 rebounds).

Needless to say, the Hokies’ lineup is full of upperclassmen, a characteristic that could help them try to overcome a young Duke team.

Duke Wants To Get ACC Schedule Off To A Good Start

While Virginia Tech has already played an ACC game, this will be the first conference matchup for the Blue Devils. As the favorites to win the ACC, they hope to get off on the right foot at home, where they are currently 8-0.

The Blue Devils have three players averaging double digits, led by junior forward Wendell Moore Jr. He is averaging 16.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Freshman sensations Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels have also impressed in the early going. Banchero is averaging 16.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals. Keels has also started off hot, averaging 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and two steals per game.

Other contributors include Jeremy Roach (9.3 points, 3.2 assists) and Mark Williams (9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds).

Take Duke To Win And Cover

Sometimes the best chance to get an upset is when you have upperclassmen that can shoot it from the outside. The Hokies have shown they have both.

Still, having the recipe to do it and getting it done are two completely different things. Especially playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Hokies are presented with a tall task to take down a really impressive Duke team on their home court.

Expect Duke to send a message to the ACC Wednesday night as they take down Virginia Tech with ease. Take Duke to win and cover.

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