The last time Duke and Virginia played, they each were ranked No. 1 in the country – one in the AP Top 25 and one in the Coaches Poll. Neither is No. 1 on Saturday but it’s still the game of the day as the No. 2 Blue Devils should be slight NCAAB lines favorites at the No. 3 Cavs.
Duke vs Virginia NCAAB Spread & Expert Pick
Silence the crowd. That’s Duke Basketball. 😈🏀🤫😤 #TBT pic.twitter.com/73xLRLYheI
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) 7 de febrero de 2019
- When: Saturday, 6 PM ET
- Where: John Paul Jones Arena
- TV: ESPN
- NCAAB Spread: TBA
Florida vs Tennessee NCAA Basketball Odds, Preview & Pick
Season Series
Duke leads 1-0. On Jan. 19, the Blue Devils knocked off the Wahoos 72-70. RJ Barrett scored 30 points, and Williamson had 27 and Duke gave Virginia its first loss of the season. Top Duke point guard Tre Jones missed the game injured. DeAndre Hunter scored 18 points, and Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy had 14 apiece for the Cavaliers, who entered as the nation’s last unbeaten. Virginia allowed Duke to shoot 63 percent in the second half — and hit 12 of 15 shots inside the 3-point arc — while giving up a season-high point total. There were 14 ties and 15 lead changes, and it was a one-possession game for a 14 1/2-minute stretch of the second half.
Why Bet on Duke?
The Blue Devils won their sixth in a row Tuesday, 80-55 over Boston College. BC gave Duke fits for a half before fading down the stretch of its third straight loss. Duke, which entered shooting a program-worst 30.9 percent from long distance, missed 14 of 15 3s in the first half while trailing 30-28 at the break. Jordan Chatman scored 16 points while North Carolina native Ky Bowman finished with 11 — he averages 20.8 — on 5-of-17 shooting while facing constant pressure from Duke’s Tre Jones.
Freshman Zion Williamson recorded his ninth double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds in 33 minutes. His 17 rebounds were a career high, surpassing the 16 he had versus Army. Over the last five games, Williamson is 50-of-66 (.758) from the field with 118 points. Williamson added three assists, three blocks, and four steals.
Freshman RJ Barrett scored 19 points and has surpassed the 500-point mark this season. With 505 points in 22 games this season, Barrett has moved to 10th on Duke’s freshman single-season scoring list. The nation’s highest-scoring duo at 45.0 points per game, Barrett, and Williamson are the ACC’s two leading scorers at 23.0 and 22.0 points, respectively.
Freshman Cam Reddish scored 24 points — one shy of his career high 25 vs. Army — and his career high in ACC play. Reddish is averaging 15.3 points over the last seven games. Reddish was 4-of-4 at the free throw line, and has hit 18 consecutive free throws over the last five games.
Duke has reached the 20-win mark for the 54th time in program history, including in 23 consecutive seasons. The Blue Devils improved to 8-1 in ACC play, its best start to an ACC season since beginning the 2010-11 season 12-1 in conference play. The Blue Devils will play four of their next six games on the road where they are one of two undefeated teams on the road this season (Tennessee).
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 87.05
- Field Goal Percentage: 48.62
- Three-Point Percentage: 30.78
- Free Throw Percentage: 67.59
- Total Rebounds: 43.00
Defense
- Total Score: 65.23
- Field Goal Percentage: 38.24
- Three-Point Percentage: 28.85
- Free Throw Percentage: 69.23
- Total Rebounds: 35.50
Why Bet on Virginia?
UVA hasn’t lost since the Duke game, winning its fourth in a row last Saturday, 56-46 over Miami. Virginia used a 9-0 run in the first half to take an 18-11 lead and never trailed again. The Cavaliers built the lead to 13 but had trouble gaining more separation as they shot poorly. UVA shot only 42.3 percent from the floor, in part because All-America guard Kyle Guy (4 for 15) was off the mark, but they outrebounded the ‘Canes 42-24 and blocked six shots. Miami became the ninth team held below 50 points by the Cavaliers this season. The Hurricanes entered averaging 74.4 points per game.
Virginia played without point guard and third-leading scorer Ty Jerome because of a sore back. That meant a larger role for Kihei Clark, a 5-9 freshman who came in averaging 25.2 minutes per game. He played 36-plus minutes against Miami. Clark finished with nine points, five rebounds, and a game-high six assists, but Clark also had six of Virginia’s 14 turnovers. The Wahoos (20-1 overall, 8-1 ACC) came in averaging only 8.8 turnovers per game, the fewest of any Division I team.
Not yet clear if Jerome plays here. He has been named one of the 10 candidates for the 2019 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Jerome is averaging a career-high 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals. He has reached double figures in 14 games, including three 20-point efforts, highlighted by a season-high 25 at South Carolina.
Guy has been named one of the 10 candidates for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Guy is second on the team in scoring (14.5 points per game) and leads the team in 3-point shooting (43.8 percent), free throw accuracy (85.4 percent) and 3-pointers (60). He has a 15-game double-figure scoring streak and set a UVA school record with 11 consecutive 3-pointers made over a two-game span earlier this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 72.86
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.74
- Three-Point Percentage: 39.43
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.14
- Total Rebounds: 36.29
Defense
- Total Score: 52.86
- Field Goal Percentage: 37.01
- Three-Point Percentage: 24.70
- Free Throw Percentage: 62.50
- Total Rebounds: 29.43
Duke vs Virginia NCAA Basketball Betting Trends
- Duke is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
- Duke is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Duke’s last 6 games on the road
- Virginia is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Duke
- Virginia is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games when playing Duke
Expert NCAAB Betting Prediction
Duke Blue Devils 69 – Virginia Cavaliers 66
