Duke Virginia Tech Betting – Duke Tries To Get A Top Seed Against Bubble Foe
The Duke Blue Devils are chasing a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Virginia Tech Hokies just want to get to the NCAA Tournament. A spirited game awaits on Saturday.
NCAA basketball betting: Duke Blue Devils @ Virginia Tech Hokies
Why To Bet On Duke
The sports betting pundit community knows that whenever a big college basketball game has been played over the past three-plus seasons, Virginia Tech has failed to win it. The Hokies always manage to play just well enough to miss out on the NCAA Tournament. Coach Seth Greenberg’s team has gone to the National Invitation Tournament in 2008, 2009 and 2010, all because it has not done enough within the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2008, Tech lost to North Carolina by two points in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Had Tech won that game, it would have made the NCAAs.
In 2009, the Hokies lost to North Carolina by three points in an ACC Tournament quarterfinal that likely would have punched their ticket to the Big Dance. In 2010, Virginia Tech looked like a near shoo-in for the tournament in the eyes of online betting experts, but much as a hockey team kills itself with a late blunder just before the NHL trade deadline, the Hokies lost to 12th-seeded Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The late loss took them out of the field of 65 (which is now the field of 68). You can expect Virginia Tech to fail in big games, and since Duke is pursuing a number one seed for this year’s tournament, the defending national champions have a very good chance of surviving this road test.
Why To Bet On Virginia Tech
The Hokies might have a track record of failure in big games, but what’s different about this contest is that it will be visited by ESPN College Gameday, the traveling road show that brings a big crowd and added national buzz to a campus gymnasium like Cassel Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Hokies will be pumped up for this occasion. They’ll spill all their energy and will use all their motivation to win this one game. Moreover, Duke is a team that’s vulnerable to ACC foes on the road. A solid but not spectacular Florida State team beat Duke at home, and Florida State doesn’t have the same offensive options as Virginia Tech does with forward Jeff Allen and guard Malcolm Delaney. Duke – which has not yet played a road game against elite ACC rival North Carolina – is distinctly vulnerable on the road, and that’s one of the biggest things working in Virginia Tech’s favor on Saturday. Tech so badly wants to get to the NCAA Tournament, and Duke might not be strong enough to withstand the Hokies’ full-force effort.
How The Game Will Play Out
NHL trade rumors are flying around as much as speculation about Virginia Tech’s NCAA Tournament hopes. All in all, when the Hokies face a make-or-break moment in the pursuit of a tourney ticket, they normally fall short. Duke possesses its share of weaknesses, but Virginia Tech won’t be strong enough to get the job done. Take Duke on the road.
Duke Virginia Tech Betting Pick: Duke
