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Virginia vs Duke 2/23/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Duke Blue Devils (23-4) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (17-10)
February 23, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Virginia Cavaliers +5 / Duke Blue Devils -5; Over/Under: 128.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The 9th ranked Duke Blue Devils will travel to take on the John Paul Jones Arena to take on the Virginia Cavaliers this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The 9th ranked Duke Blue Devils won their 4th straight game and improved to 23-4 on the season after defeating the Florida State Seminoles, 88-70, this past Saturday. Duke was outstanding offensively against Florida State and was able to pull away in the 2nd half after taking a 72-52 lead with 8:32 left in regulation. Duke shot 51.6% from the field & 39.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Florida State to shoot 50.0% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blue Devils was Wendell Moore Jr. who had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, & 6 steals.

On the season, Duke is averaging 80.1 ppg on 48.4% shooting from the field. The Blue Devils are averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game on 36.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Duke has been led by Paolo Banchero (16.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.0 bpg), Wendell Moore Jr. (13.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.6 spg), Trevor Keels (12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg), & Mark Williams (10.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.9 bpg).

Defensively, Duke is holding their opponents to an average of 65.3 ppg on 40.6% shooting from the field. The Blue Devils have a rebound margin of 5.0 and a turnover margin of 1.0.

The Virginia Cavaliers improved to 17-10 on the season after defeating the Miami Hurricanes, 74-71, this past Saturday. Virginia trailed by a 38-30 margin at halftime, however, the Cavaliers were outstanding offensively in the 2nd half against the Hurricanes and held off Miami for the victory after taking a 65-57 lead with 1:39 left in regulation. Virginia shot 49.0% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Miami to shoot 41.8% from the field & 35.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cavaliers was Jayden Gardner who had 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, & 3 blocks.

On the season, Virginia is averaging 63.4 ppg on 45.4% shooting from the field. The Cavaliers are averaging 5.1 three-pointers per game on 32.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Virginia has been led by Jayden Gardner (15.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 apg), Armaan Franklin (11.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg), Kihei Clark (9.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.1 apg), & Reece Beekman (7.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.0 spg).

Defensively, Virginia is holding their opponents to an average of 60.1 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the field. The Cavaliers have a rebound margin of 0.7 and a turnover margin of 1.3.

The Blue Devils are 5-3 ATS in their last 8 road games, however, are just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games vs. Virginia. The Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.

Duke has been solid on both ends of the court this season, ranking 15th in scoring offense, 17th in FG%, & 64th in scoring defense, however, this is still a team that lost to Virginia by a 69-68 margin on their home court just over two weeks ago. Virginia has been playing some of their best basketball of the season as of late, winning 5 of their last 6 games, and although their offense is always a concern, I think their 11th ranked scoring defense will be able to keep this game competitive on their home court and that Virginia does enough with the points to get us a cover.

Brett Nault's Free Pick: Virginia Cavaliers +5

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Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

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