No.4 Duke Visits No. 2 Virginia in ACC Showdown
The No. 4 ranked Duke Blue Devils 17-3 SU and 10-9-1 ATS visit the No. 2 ranked Virginia Cavaliers 19-0 SU and 12-5 ATS in an ACC showdown on Saturday evening. The current line has Virginia favored by 6 points.
On Saturday, Duke faces its second opponent in the top-10 this week and need to come away with a win. On Wednesday, Duke was beaten by Notre Dame 77-73. Jahlil Okafor the standout freshman led the Blue Devils in scoring with 22 points and in rebounding with 17.
However, it was not enough to prevent Duke from dropping to 4-3 in ACC play and 17-3 overall. Duke was hurt at the free throw line hitting just 10 of their 20 free throws on the night.
However, things will not get any easier for Duke as Virginia is second nationally with an unblemished 19-0 record.
Okafor leads Duke in scoring and is one of the candidates for player of the year. He is helped offensively by Quinn Cook, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow.
Virginia has been idle for a week after surviving a big scare against Virginia Tech on Sunday. The Cavaliers are 7-0 in ACC play.
Virginia wins with its defense, holding its opponents to only an average of 49 points a game, which leads the nation.
Justin Anderson a junior guard leads Virginia in scoring, while Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill also average double figures.
The Cavaliers will have a huge challenge on their hands trying to stop Okafor, who of late has played superb basketball.
If Virginia can figure out a way to slow down Okafor or contain him, they should win.
Duke comes into this game with a bit of controversy in the air as on Thursday the team dismissed Rasheed Sulaimon a junior guard. He was the team’s sixth man.
The loss will not affect the team that much other than possibly improving team chemistry. Nevertheless, the incident will be on the minds of some of the players.
Trends to Follow
The visiting team in this matchup is 15-5-1 against the spread in the past 21 games. The OVER has cashed in 7 of the past 10 games Duke has played overall. Virginia has covered the spread in 29 of its past 41 games overall. In the past 6 games for Virginia, the UNDER has cashed 5 times.
Duke is desperate for a win. Past Duke teams have been able to come through in the clutch, but this Virginia team has a suffocating defense that can shut down the best of offenses.
I like Virginia to win straight up and Duke to cover the spread in the loss 63-61
