#7 Duke vs Virginia | NCAAB Game Preview & Betting Odds

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No. 7 Duke is in control of its destiny to win the ACC regular-season title and perhaps earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Virginia can help play spoiler against its bitter rival on Wednesday. The Blue Devils are favored on the NCAAB odds for a little payback.

How to Bet Duke at Virginia NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 7 PM ET
Where: John Paul Jones Arena
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN app
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Duke -4 (total 130)

Last Meeting

On Feb. 7, Virginia was a 69-68 upset winner at Duke. Reece Beekman’s 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left over Duke’s Paolo Banchero was just the second made 3-pointer on 12 attempts for the Cavaliers. And five of Beekman’s seven points came in the last two minutes. Before the last sequence, Beekman made a backcourt steal and basket to knot the score but failed to complete the three-point play. Then Duke’s Trevor Keels put Duke back on top with two free throws with 1:26 left. Banchero was held to a season-low nine points and his desperation 3 hit only the side of the backboard to end the game.

Wednesday is the 176th game in the series, which Duke leads 122-53, including 42-35 in Charlottesville (6-3 at John Paul Jones Arena).

Why Bet on Duke?

Duke won its fourth in a row since that Virginia loss, 88-70 over Florida State on Saturday. Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski was back after missing the second half of the previous game because he wasn’t feeling well. The Blue Devils (23-4) closed the half on a 12-2 burst to take a 52-41 lead against the injury-depleted Seminoles. Duke shot 52% for the game, including 11 of 28 from 3-point range. FSU shot just 11 of 27 (41%) after halftime as the deficit ballooned.

“I thought that we didn’t execute nearly as well in the beginning of the second half as we had in the first half,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “I thought once they got up about 15 points, it was extremely challenging for us to get over that hump.”

Duke junior Wendell Moore Jr., had 16 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds – the six steals matching his career high (Gonzaga). The game was Moore’s power-conference leading 11th this season with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Freshman Paolo Banchero recorded team highs in both points (17) and rebounds (eight). Sophomore Mark Williams was 5-of-7 from the field for 10 points. Over Duke’s last 12 games, Williams is 67-of-86 (.779) from the field. He has made 36-of-43 (.837) over the last seven games.

Williams leads the ACC and ranks 11th nationally in blocked shots. He is also the nation’s only player shooting .700+ from the field and .700+ at the free throw line (minimum 100 field goal attempts). Leading the ACC in both field goal defense (.406) and three-point defense (.297), the Blue Devils have allowed opponents to shoot .282 from three-point range since Jan. 1 — the best three-point defense by power conference team in that span.

Why Bet on Virginia?

Virginia (17-10) was a 74-71 upset winner at Miami on Saturday. UVA used a 10-0 run to lead 52-44 with 12:37 left. The Hurricanes got within two points three times — the last with 5:31 to go — but no closer. Forward Jayden Gardner scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Cavaliers.

With starting wing Armaan Franklin hampered by foul trouble and a sore toe, senior Kody Stattmann played 26 minutes and contributed eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. With 5:55 to play, Stattmann capped a spin move by banking in a shot to put UVA up 57-53. Kadin Shedrick came off the bench to post a double-double (13 points and career-high 13 rebounds). The Cavaliers have won five or more ACC road games for the sixth consecutive season.

UVA is led by its backcourt of Kihei Clark (9.9 ppg & 4.1 apg) and Reece Beekman (7.7 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.3 rpg & 2.0 spg), and the additions of transfers Gardner (15.3 ppg & 7.1 rpg) and Franklin (11.6 ppg). The Cavaliers, with three Quad 1 wins this season, have the third most of those victories in the ACC – and can add to that against the first-place Blue Devils.

The last 13 games in the Duke series have been decided by 10 points or fewer with the average margin just 4.3 points. Five of the last six games in the series have been one or two-point decisions. There hasn’t been a true blowout in the series since Duke’s 56-41 win in 2016.

The Cavaliers aim for their first two-game regular season sweep over Duke since 1994-95. UVA has not won back-to-back games vs. Duke since winning four straight from March 12, 1994-Jan. 13, 1996.

UVA is 1-1 vs. ranked opponents

“Obviously, they’re a special, talented in 2021-22.team,” said UVA coach Tony Bennett of Duke. Bennett is hoping to take his program to an eighth straight NCAA tournament. “It will take us to play at a high level and quality on both ends. Teams like that, they make you pay. We’ll just have to be as ready as you can.”