The Virginia Tech Hokies put together a nice non-conference record, but the competition will ramp up considerably to begin conference play. They will face off against the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC opener for both teams on New Year’s Eve.
Virginia Tech is the home team but is hosting one of the best teams in the country and will be the underdog. Duke has some tough competition in the conference but has the talent to come out on top if it plays well. This is the type of game the Blue Devils need to win in order to keep pace with the other elite teams in the ACC.
At 12 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Saturday, December 31, 2016, at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Duke is 12-1 straight up and 6-6 against the spread as the Blue Devils are often giving many points in each outing. The Blue Devils lost their third game of the year to No. 7 Kansas by a bucket but have since rolled up 10 straight wins.
Duke has played in six neutral site games this year but have yet to participate in a true road game, so this will be new territory in 2016-17. The Blue Devils have been favored in every game they have played this season.
Virginia Tech is 11-1 straight up and 5-3 against the spread this season. The Hokies have played in four games that featured a spread at home and have covered in half of them. Virginia Tech is 1-1 against the spread as the underdog thus far.
Key Stat
83.5. That’s the number of points per game both sides are averaging this year. Duke has done it against some tougher competition, as it has faced ranked teams Kansas, Rhode Island and Florida this year while Virginia Tech will be facing its first team in the top-25 when Duke arrives.
The Blue Devils are led in scoring by Luke Kennard, who is averaging 20.4 points per game. Grayson Allen adds 16.0 per contest, while Jayson Tatum contributes 15.4, Amile Jefferson 14.2 and Frank Jackson 12.3 per game.
For Virginia Tech, Zach LeDay is the leading scorer with 16.7 points per contest and hr adds 7.4 rebounds. Ahmed Hill pitches in with 14.6 points while Justin Robinson adds 11.2 points and Seth Allen contributes 10.4.
Injury Report
The Blue Devils have been buoyed by the return of Tatum, who has played five games this season after missing the first chunk of the year with a foot sprain. He scored 18 points in 37 minutes last time out and has already become a big part of the team.
Harry Giles, the talented freshman forward, has played limited minutes in two games since his return from injury and may not have a huge impact in this one. Duke is without Allen, who has been suspended indefinitely after a tripping incident and subsequent bench meltdown before Christmas.
Keep an eye on any Allen news, as he is a big part of the team and could be reinstated at any time. Duke still has the talent to win this one without him, but he can be a big part of the equation if he doesn’t allow his temper to take over.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Duke has been good this season and is now just getting healthier. Tatum’s return has been big and the Blue Devils are certainly playing like a national championship contender.
Virginia Tech has to feel good about its start and would love to make the NCAA Tournament, but needs to stay afloat against some talented opponents in the ACC. It’s not going to start great, as Duke should be able to come in and take care of business on the road to start conference play with a win.
College Basketball Odds: Duke 85, Virginia Tech 72
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