Virginia Tech Hokies vs Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview
The ACC Tournament champion will be decided Saturday night as the No. 7 Virginia Tech Hokies take on the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils. This game will be played at the Barclays Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
These two played just once during the regular season, with Duke beating Virginia Tech 76-65 at home back on December 22. In the win, Paolo Banchero led the Blue Devils with 23 points and seven rebounds. Keve Aluma had a game-high 25 in the loss for the Hokies.
To get to the championship game, Virginia Tech took down North Carolina on Friday, 72-59. Darius Maddox and Keve Aluma combined for 38 points in the win.
For Duke, they had to take down Miami 80-76 on Friday. In what was a tightly contested game all night, Duke prevailed behind a solid effort from AJ Griffin, Wendell Moore, and Paolo Banchero as the trio combined for 56 points.
Duke is the favorite in this one. They are -250 to win while the Hokies’ moneyline sits at +202. The spread features Virginia Tech +6 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 139.5.
More Odds
Looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, Duke has the fifth-best odds of winning the National Championship at +1200. Virginia Tech is +15000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Duke has the stronger of the two offenses. They rank seventh in the nation in scoring averaging 80.6 points per game. Virginia Tech ranks 168th averaging 70.4 points.
Defensively, it is Virginia Tech with the advantage. They rank 19th in the nation in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents an average of just 62.2 points per game. Duke ranks 84th allowing 66.4 points.
Hokies Look For Another Upset And ACC Title
By all accounts, the Hokies shouldn’t have gotten this far. On back-to-back-to-back nights, they have beaten No. 10 Clemson (76-75), No. 2 Notre Dame (87-80), and No. 3 North Carolina (72-59). Trying to finish the Cinderella story, they will look to take down the top-seeded Blue Devils on Saturday.
Leading the offense for Virginia Tech this season is senior forward Keve Aluma. On the season, he is averaging 15.6 points per game on 53.3% shooting. He is also averaging 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
The Hokies have two others averaging double digits in forward Justyn Mutts (10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals) and guard Nahiem Alleyne (10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists).
Duke Trying To Sweep ACC Championships in Krzyzewski’s Final Season
As head coach Mike Krzyzewski is approaching the end of a Hall-of-Fame 42-year career, the Blue Devils are trying to send him out the right way. After securing an ACC regular-season title, they are now trying to get their coach a ACC tournament title on his way out as well.
Krzyzewski has a talented and deep roster led by freshman superstar Paolo Banchero. In 32 games this season, he is averaging 16.8 points on 46% shooting. He is also chipping in 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
The Blue Devils’ depth is unmatched, though, as they have four others averaging double digits, including Wendell Moore Jr (13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists), Trevor Keels (12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, three assists), Mark Williams (11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks), and AJ Griffin (10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds).
Take The Hokies And The Points
This one is a tough one to call. On paper, Duke is one of the best teams in all of college basketball, but Virginia Tech can be tenacious, especially on the defensive end, and could disrupt the Blue Devils’ rhythm.
At the end of the day, Duke should win this game, but it won’t be a cakewalk for them. Expect Virginia Tech to give them a run for their money and, for that reason, take the Hokies and the points.
Take Virginia Tech +6.
