Virginia vs. Duke live stream: Betting odds, TV channel, prediction
Duke basketball looks to make a statement as they host Virginia in a critical ACC matchup.
The path to the NCAA Tournament is extremely narrow for the Duke Blue Devils, who have just two clear options left to avoid missing the dance for the first time since 1995. The nuclear option would be to win the ACC Tournament to capture the conference’s automatic bid, but the Blue Devils’ remaining regular-season schedule offers opportunities to stack up a few key wins down the stretch.
Winning at Wake Forest by 24 earlier this week won’t lift Duke onto the bubble, but what it does do is extend the Blue Devils’ winning streak to two games. Matchups against Syracuse, Louisville and North Carolina also provide opportunities for Mike Krzyzewski’s team to improve its resume, but there isn’t a bigger marquee win opportunity than the one presented tonight with Virginia’s trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Cavaliers have been one of the ACC’s top teams all season but enter this game coming off a demolition at the hands of Florida State on Monday. The Seminoles blew out Virginia 81-60, shooting 50 percent for the game and knocking down 13 three-pointers against the Pack Line defense, which is not an inspiring performance entering this matchup with the Blue Devils.
A deeper look at the Cavaliers’ resume shows that there aren’t a lot of quality wins on it. That fact, combined with the lackluster performance Virginia has demonstrated against elite teams this season, would suggest that the Cavaliers are vulnerable to an upset here.
The bigger question is whether or not Duke can put together a complete performance to knock off a team as talented as Virginia. The best win that the Blue Devils have put together this season came against Clemson, where they dominated the Tigers on both ends of the floor from the opening tip, an effort they will need to duplicate in order to topple Virginia.
How to bet and watch Virginia at Duke
For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.