Don’t miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Cavaliers and Blue Devils. The game is starting at 6:00 ET on ESPN, and it’s hosted by the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 124.5 points, and Duke is favored by -9.5 to win at home against Virginia.

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS VS DUKE BLUE DEVILS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Virginia Cavaliers +9.5

This game will be played at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:00 ET on Saturday, March 2nd.

WHY BET THE VIRGINIA CAVALIERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 74-69 in favor of the Blue Devils.
  • Even though we have Duke winning straight-up, we like Virginia at +9.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 124.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 143 points.

Does Virginia Have A Chance at Cameron Indoor Stadium?

Virginia enters this game as a 9.5-point underdog, and they have gone 2-5 this season in that role. On the road, the Cavaliers have gone 5-6, and they are coming off a 72-68 win over Boston College. Over their last 10 road games, Virginia has gone 5-5.

For the season, the Cavaliers are 21-8, and they have gone 12-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. They have gone 9-2 in non-conference games, and they have gone 16-2 at home compared to 5-6 on the road.

Virginia has an overall ATS record of 15-13-1 this season and they are 5-6 vs. the spread on the road. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Cavaliers have gone just 2-8 vs. the spread. However, they have gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 road contests.

Virginia’s over/under record this season is 13-16, and today’s line of 124.5 is lower than the average OU line in their games (127). So far, 16 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 117 points compared to their season average of 122.4 points per game.

In their latest game, Virginia offense put up 72 points against Boston College. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 44.4% and made 8 threes. The team’s top scorer is Reece Beekman, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 13.9, while Isaac McKneely also maintains a PPG average of 12.2 leading up to the game.

Currently, the Cavaliers’ defense holds the 4th rank in the nation, allowing 58.7 points per game. So far, the Virginia defense is giving up an average of 8.0 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 7.7 times per game (350th).

Does Duke Have What it Takes to Win as Home Favorites?

At home this season, Duke has been dominant, going 15-2 with an average scoring margin of +16.9 points per game. The Blue Devils have won five straight games at home and have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke enters this game with an overall record of 22-6, including a 12-4 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Blue Devils have been favored in 25 of their 28 games this season, going 21-4 in those games.

As the favorite, Duke has an ATS record of 15-10 this season. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Blue Devils have gone 7-3 vs. the spread. At home, Duke has an ATS mark of 11-6 this year and they are 3-0 ATS in their last 3 home games.

Today’s over/under line of 124.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Duke’s games this season (147.2) and the average scoring total in their games this year (148.7). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 147 points, and their over/under record this season is 12-14-1.

The Duke offense is coming off a game where they scored 84 points against Louisville. They posted a field goal percentage of 56.1% and connected on 11 threes. Kyle Filipowski is leading the team in scoring at 16.6 points per contest. Jeremy Roach has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 14.4 going into the game.

Currently, the Blue Devils’ defense holds the 60th rank in the nation, allowing 67.4 points per game. Duke’s defense is coming off a game in which they allowed the Louisville offense to knock down 56% of their shots on their way to putting up 59 points.