The Virginia Tech Hokies already have wins over ACC powers Virginia and North Carolina this season. They would love to pull off the trifecta early next week when they host the surging Duke Blue Devils.
Virginia Tech was the underdog in the previous upsets and will once again be expected to fall. The Hokies have put together a nice season and seem on track to grab an NCAA Tournament berth. A win over the Blue Devils would clinch that and improve their seeding.
The Blue Devils are in the race for a No. 1 seed as they find a groove down the stretch even without the services of their most talented player.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Monday, February 26, 2018, at Cassell Coliseum.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Duke is 23-5 straight up and 17-10 against the spread. The Blue Devils have covered in six of 10 attempts on the road this season. Duke is 16-9 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Virginia Tech is 20-8 straight up and 15-9 against the spread. The Hokies have covered in eight of their 12 attempts at home this season. Virginia Tech is 4-5 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Injury Report
Marvin Bagley -- Duke’s star freshman continues to sit with a knee injury, and it’s unknown if he will be back on the court for this contest. Bagley is averaging 21.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
He is shooting 59.6 percent from the field and even has the ability to shoot from downtown. Bagley is projected to be one of the top picks in the NBA draft after this season, but he is hoping to go out on a high note with Duke. The Blue Devils would love to get him back against the Hokies but Duke has won all four games this season without him.
The Blue Devils have knocked off Georgia Tech, this Virginia Tech team, Clemson and Louisville without Bagley. Grayson Allen has done a really nice job leading the way during Bagley’s absence.
Previous Meeting
These two teams met on Valentine’s Day and Duke came away with the easy win. The Blue Devils had an eight-point lead at halftime and then dominated the second half on the way to a74-52 victory.
Allen was the catalyst, scoring 25 points on 9-of-17 from the field. The Blue Devils shot 50 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range, which made it tough for Virginia Tech to ever bite into their lead.
The Hokies were led by Justin Bibbs, who had 15 points and missed only one of his seven shots. Virginia Tech was out-rebounded by 17, which was a huge reason why Duke pulled away for an easy victory.
Virginia Tech averages 81.6 points per game but didn’t come close to that total in the first game between these two teams.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Duke has to go on the road in this one and there seems to be a decent chance Bagley doesn’t play. Virginia Tech was outclassed the first time around but should show much better in this matchup. Duke should be able to come away with a close win, but this one is likely to go down to the final moments.
The Blue Devils figure to be favored by a few points but Virginia Tech is the pick to cover that spread. This game should have a bunch more points than in the first matchup.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Duke 87, Virginia Tech 83
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