NCAA Men’s Basketball Betting Previews – Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Tech Hokies

February 1, 2012

NCAA Men’s Basketball Betting Previews – Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Tech Hokies

NCAA Men’s Basketball Betting Previews- No.5 Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

Pointspread: Duke

Total Line: OFF

The Duke Blue Devils face-off against the Virginia Tech Hokies this Thursday night in Blacksburg in this ACC clash. The game is slated to tip-off at 7 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Duke comes into this game fresh off Saturday’s 83-76 nonconference victory over St. Johns, but it failed to cover as a 17.5-point home favorite. The win improved the Blue Devils to 18-3 straight-up overall, but they have been costly against the spread with a record of 8-13. They are 8-2 SU on the road this season and 4-6 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of the 10 games.

The Blue Devils remain one of the top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 80.3 points a game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field. The only real area it has been less than stellar is under the boards with an average of 35.8 rebounds a game, which is ranked 126^th in the country.

Virginia Tech’s 73-69 loss to Maryland this past Saturday as a two-point road favorite was its sixth in its last seven games. The recent skid as dropped the Hokies to 12-9 SU on the year and 6-10-1 ATS. They are 8-4 SU in 12 previous home games, but just 3-5 ATS. The total has been evenly split at 4-4 in the eight games with a posted line.

The numbers paint the picture for the Hokies’ current form with an average of just 60.7 points in their last seven games verse a season average of 67.7 points a game. For the season, they are shooting 43 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from three-point range.

Duke is 1-5 ATS in its last six games following a SU win and 2-6 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in eight of its last 11 Thursday games.

Virginia Tech is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games in the ACC and 1-4 ATS in its last five games at home. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of its last eight games overall.

Head-to-head in this series, the favorite is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings and the total has stayed ‘under’ in four of the last five games. The Blue Devils are 7-2 SU in the last nine meetings, but lost by four points as a four-point road favorite in last year’s trip to Blacksburg. That is not going to happen again this year as Duke cruises to the easy win.

The Free Pick: Duke 77 Virginia Tech 63

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DJ is a freelance writer that concentrates on his true passion in life; the world of sports. He produces a number of articles each week for BangTheBook.com as well as a select group of other websites that specialize in providing the most up-to-date information for the sports gaming industry. His goal is to write insightful articles on a wide variety of sporting topics that can provide an edge to today's sophisticated online player.

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