Duke and Virginia Tech will meet up for a conference tilt to help open our college basketball Saturday.
Not only has Duke won by a lot lately, but they’ve also covered the spread in five straight. My Duke vs. Virginia Tech predictions see no reason for this train to stop today.
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I break it all down in my college basketball picks for January 31.
Duke vs Virginia Tech prediction
Duke vs Virginia Tech best bet: Duke -11.5 (-110)
I’ve backed the Duke Blue Devils a lot lately, and I’ll continue to do so when the matchup shows such a clear path to winning.
This Duke offense lives at the rim, cuts very well, and makes tons of hay off second-chance scorers. The Virginia Tech Hokies are the type of opponent that can’t consistently take those away.
Once Duke gets you into rotation, they turn broken possessions into points, and that’s where games like this get away from underdogs.
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Cameron Boozer and Patrick Ngongba are good examples of why: they can score without the ball, punish late help, and they live to create extra possessions when Tech doesn’t finish rebounds cleanly.
On the other end, Duke’s defense lines up well with what Tech wants.
The Hokies skew toward creating dribble jumpers and perimeter shot-making, and Duke has been strong at making those looks uncomfortable and lower-quality over a full 40.
If Tech isn’t scoring efficiently early, it turns into long possessions and contested shots, and then you’re chasing. That gets ugly fast against a team with so much talent.
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The tempo should be comfortable, which actually helps the favorite here. Duke can play clean, win the possession battle, and let the math add up.
I’d be fine laying up to -13.
Duke vs Virginia Tech same-game parlay
Like it so often is in big Duke wins, I expect today to be a Cam Boozer showcase.
Virginia Tech is just an average offensive rebounding team, but more troubling is their defensive rebounding, which ranks near the 300s. That’s food for a team like Duke and a player like Boozer whose offense is predicated on second-chance creation.
I finished things up with Boozer to go Over his assist prop. It’s an angle I’ve been backing lately as more teams sell out against him on defense, and I see no reason to stop backing it now.
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Duke vs Virginia Tech SGP
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Cam Boozer Over 9.5 rebounds
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Cam Boozer Over 3.5 assists
Our beyond the arc SGP: Over whelmed
Both of these teams are willing to run in transition, and my projection made this closer to 150. It certainly helps that Duke will be able to clean up most of his misses with second-chance scores.
Duke vs Virginia Tech SGP
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Cam Boozer Over 9.5 rebounds
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Cam Boozer Over 3.5 assists
Duke vs Virginia Tech odds
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Spread: Duke -12.5 | Virginia Tech +12.5
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Moneyline: Duke -875 | Virginia Tech +530
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Over/Under: Over 148.5 | Under 148.5
Duke vs Virginia Tech betting trend to know
Duke has hit the moneyline in 35 of their last 38 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Duke vs. Virginia Tech.
How to watch Duke vs Virginia Tech
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Location |
Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA |
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Date |
Saturday, January 31, 2026 |
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Tip-off |
12:00 p.m. ET |
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TV |
ESPN |
Duke vs Virginia Tech key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
