The Duke Blue Devils are playing their first of two games on the road this week, taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies in an ACC clash.
Road games have not been kind to the Blue Devils this season, as they are 1-3 away from Durham. They are 5-3 in the conference this season, with all of their losses on the road, and 14-5 overall this year. They sit 2.5 games out of first in the ACC.
Basketball in general hasn't been kind to the Hokies lately. Virginia Tech has lost seven consecutive games, all to ACC foes. To their credit, five of those losses were within five points, but 1-7 is still a nightmare start to conference play. They are only one game ahead of last place in the ACC.
Both teams desperately need a win tonight for different reasons. Let's see if the Blue Devils can dispel their road woes or if Virginia Tech will halt their losing streak.
Duke vs. Virginia Tech Betting Odds
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Duke vs. Virginia Tech Match Details
Fixture: Duke Blue Devils @ Virginia Tech Hokies
Date and Time: Monday, January 23, 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Cassell Coliseum
Duke vs. Virginia Tech Key Stats
The Blue Devils' 1-3 record doesn't tell the entire story of their road performance this season.
Their only road win was by one point, and their point differential on the road is -42 in those four away games this year.
Virginia Tech's point differential during their active seven-game losing streak is -35. Only two of those losses came at home, and they were both close games.
While both offenses score a similar amount per game, 72.0 for the Blue Devils and 72.6 for Virginia Tech, the Hokies shoot 46.0% from the field as a team. The Blue Devils only shoots 42.9%.
Defensively, these schools are also similar, but the Blue Devils are slightly better.
The Blue Devils hold opponents to 63.5 points per game on 41.1% shooting and 29.5% from three. The Hokies allow 65.6 points per game, and their foes shoot 41.6% overall while knocking down 31.2% of threes.
The Blue Devils should have a rebounding edge tonight. They grab 40.0 boards per game, while the Hokies only pull down 35.7 rebounds per contest.
Duke vs. Virginia Tech Betting Prediction
The fact that Virginia Tech has lost seven in a row and is favored speaks volumes about how Duke has performed on the road this season. Otherwise, there are a lot of similarities between the programs on the court. Ultimately, the home court provides the advantage that propels Virginia Tech to victory in what should be a tight game.
Prediction: Virginia Tech Money Line (-140)
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