The Duke Blue Devils (17-7, 8-5 ACC) will look to take down the No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers (18-4, 10-3) in Charlottesville Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Duke vs. Virginia odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
No. 24 Duke, after defeating rival North Carolina 63-57 as a 2.5-point favorite last Saturday, proceeded to be trounced 81-59 two days later at 20th-ranked Miami as a 3-point underdog. This continued the up-and-down season for the Blue Devils, especially with F Dariq Whitehead sidelined with a leg injury. Lucky for Duke, Whitehead will be returning soon, possibly Saturday against the Cavaliers. His return would be a great sign for Duke, which has had trouble scoring with Whitehead out of the lineup.
Virginia, after losing 74-68 as a 2-point underdog to Virginia Tech Feb. 4, came back home and gained a 63-50 victory as a 7.5-point favorite against No. 22 NC State. Heading into Saturday, Virginia is tied with Clemson and Pittsburgh — all 10-3 in conference — atop of the ACC heading into the final month of the regular season.