The Duke Blue Devils try for a second straight win when they visit the Virginia Tech Hokies for an ACC matchup on Monday night. Duke is coming off a home win over Miami on Saturday and is in eighth place in the ACC college basketball standings, a half-game behind a five-way tie for third place. Virginia Tech has dropped seven in a row and is in 12th place in the conference.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 pm ET at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va., with ESPN televising the contest. There are a lot of good NCAA basketball games today, but this should be one of the best on the NCAAB schedule. Let’s take a closer look at this one so you can make some winning Duke vs Virginia Tech picks.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Odds
Despite its losing streak, Virginia Tech is favored by 2.5 points at home over the visiting Blue Devils. Throughout the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball schedule, they have struggled on the road, going 1-3 as the visiting team in 2022-23. The Virginia Tech Hokies odds set for this one is also due to their 8-2 record when playing at their home arena, Cassell Coliseum.
The odds for either side of the spread are listed at -110 odds.
NCAAB odds have Duke listed at +125 odds, while Virginia Tech is listed at -145.
The over/under for this contest is set at 137½ points. Between them, the two NCAA basketball teams average just 129.1 points, so unless you think this will be an offensive slugfest, the under is probably one of the safer Duke vs Virginia Tech picks.
The over and under are currently listed at -110 odds, but these odds will change as the public money begins to roll in.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Information
Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Tech Hokies
Location of the game: Cassell Coliseum. Blacksburg, VA.
Date: Monday, January 23. 6:00 PM CT.
How to watch: ESPN.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Preview
Duke, as is often the case, features some of the best young college basketball players in the game this season. The Blue Devils are led in scoring and rebounding by freshman 7-footer Kyle Filipowski, who is averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds. He has recorded three straight double-doubles, including 17 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Miami.
The Blue Devils also got a lift from the return of junior guard Jeremy Roach, who had been a part of the college basketball injury report for three games with a toe injury. Roach had 14 points and four assists off the bench in Saturday’s win.
Freshman forward Mark Mitchell is scoring 9.3 points per game, though he’s struggled a bit of late. He had just two points in Saturday’s win, the third time in five games that he failed to score more than eight points.
Sophomore guard Sean Pedulla leads the Virginia Tech attack with 15.9 points and 4.2 assists per game. He’s been held to 10 or fewer points in each of the last three games, including a seven-point effort against Clemson in a loss on Saturday. Pedulla was just 2-of-13 from the floor, including 1-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line.
A big key for Virginia Tech’s hopes will be the play of senior forward Justyn Mutts. At 6-7, Mutts isn’t a particularly tall player, but he leads the Hokies with 7.7 rebounds per contest and assists per game with 4.2. He also contributes 13.1 points per game, so he needs to be able to stay out of foul trouble against the Blue Devils.
Senior Grant Basile is averaging 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds this season. He had 13 points and eight rebounds in the loss on Saturday.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Picks
NCAAB picks can be hard to make sometimes, but this game seems to be a little easier than most. As the Blue Devils fight to be one of the March Madness picks by the NCAA Tournament Committee, they must earn some road wins. Taking on a slumping Virginia Tech squad is the perfect opportunity for one of those wins.
When making your Duke vs Virginia Tech picks, you should go against the NCAAB odds and take the Blue Devils getting points. Coach Jon Scheyer’s squad is getting healthy and has confidence after knocking off Miami on Saturday, and they should come away with the victory in this one.
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