#2 Virginia Cavaliers vs #4 Duke Blue Devils Free NCAAB Spread Pick, 1–27–2018
Free College Basketball Spread Pick by Frank Moone of King Sports Picks
#2 Virginia Cavaliers (19–1 SU, 13–4 ATS) vs #4 Duke Blue Devils (18–2 SU, 12–6 ATS)
Saturday, January 27th, 2 PM EST
Line: Duke -3.5
The premier ACC and Top 25 matchup of the weekend tips off at 2 pm at Cameron Indoor Stadium as the #2 ranked Virginia Cavaliers take on the #4 ranked Duke Blue Devils. Virginia is a perfect 8–0 in ACC play while the Blue Devils only two losses have come vs ACC opponents and are 6–2 in conference play. Oddsmakers have the Blue Devils as -3.5 point home favorites.
Virginia has rattled off 11 straight wins including a dominant 61–36 win over Clemson on Tuesday. The Cavaliers feature a shutdown defense and lead the nation in points allowed per game with an astounding 51.6 PPG. The Cavaliers will contest every shot and they rank 2nd in the country allowing 36.4% opponent FG percentage and allow only 29% from beyond the arc. Virginia will try to dictate the pace with Duke, who likes to push the ball up court, but the Cavs are at their best when they slow down the game. Virginia only has two players that average double-digit points Kyle Guy (15 PPG) and Devon Hall (12 PPG) so this is not a high scoring team. As a team, the Cavaliers average 69 PPG.
While Virginia features the #1 ranked defense the Duke Blue Devils have the #1 ranked offense, averaging 91 PPG. Super freshman Marvin Bagley III, leads the ACC in points (21.9) and rebounds (11.5) per game. Besides Bagley, the Blue Devils have four other players that average at least 12 PPG. Duke is no stranger to the style of defense that Virginia plays and despite their stifling defense, the Blue Devils have won 8 of their last 10 matchups vs UVA. However, they are just 3–7 ATS the last 10 matchups.
Duke’s talent is superior to most teams in the nation but this will be a tough test for the Blue Devils. The Cavaliers feature a veteran team that won’t be intimidated by the Cameron Crazies. Virginia’s defense may cause some problems for this young Duke team early on. I expect this to be a tight game but in the end, Duke will prevail. The Blue Devils have too much offense and Virginia has not played an offensive team like Duke this season. Coach K will have his team ready and in the end, I see Duke winning and covering the spread.
Virginia vs Duke Prediction: Duke -3.5
