Virginia Tech Hokies vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, 12/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Tech Hokies vs Duke Blue Devils

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC

TV: ESPN+

The Virginia Tech Hokies (5-7) are headed to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday where they will try to beat the Duke Blue Devils (10-2).

The Virginia Tech Hokies stepped onto the hardwood against Saint Joseph's and took a loss by a final of 82-62 in their last game. Virginia Tech walked away from the game having earned a 40.7% FG percentage (22 out of 54) and made 7 of their 22 three-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Hokies buried 11 of 13 attempts for a rate of 84.6%. With respect to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 26 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 15 dimes for the matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With respect to the defense, Virginia Tech allowed the other team to shoot 46.6% from the floor on 27 of 58 shooting. Saint Joseph's recorded 19 dimes and had 9 steals for this game. On top of that, Saint Joseph's snagged 27 boards (6 offensive, 21 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Saint Joseph's went 92.9% at the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of 14 shots. They buried 15 of 32 shots from distance. When talking about personal fouls, the Hokies finished with 15 while Saint Joseph's accounted for 14 personal fouls.

Ben Burnham is one guy who played a role for this game. He racked up 11 points on 4 out of 7 shooting. He played 27 mins and also snagged 2 rebounds. He finished 57.1% from the field but had no dimes when the game ended.

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Virginia Tech comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 5-7 this season. They are turning it over 14.5 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Virginia Tech is collecting 35.2 boards per contest and has accounted for 163 assists so far this year, which ranks 269th in the country in terms of passing. The Hokies are hitting 34.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (95 of 279) and 73.1% from the free throw line. They average 70.4 pts per game (298th in D-1) while connecting on 42.9% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Hokies are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 140th in D-1 in giving up assists with 159 surrendered for the campaign. The Hokies defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 44.4% (297 of 669) and they concede 30.9 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 31.5% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 188th in D-1 in PPG allowed (71.3).

In their last game, the Duke Blue Devils walked away with a victory by a final of 82-56 against Georgia Tech. Regarding how they attacked the glass, Duke allowed Georgia Tech to get 20 in all (5 on the offensive side). They finished 35.3% from 3-point land by hitting 6 out of 17 and ended up shooting 8 of 10 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Blue Devils allowed Georgia Tech to bury 21 of their 58 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 36.2% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Blue Devils ended up going 31 for 55 from the floor which had them shooting 56.4%. Concerning shooting from distance, Duke converted 10 of their 25 attempts (40.0%). They were able to convert 10 of those for a rate of 66.7%. Georgia Tech committed 15 personal fouls in the game which took the Blue Devils to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 5 steals in the matchup. The Blue Devils earned 26 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for this contest.

Kon Knueppel ended up having an impact for the Blue Devils for this contest. He totaled 18 points in his 32 minutes on the court and earned 5 assists in the game. He converted 7 of 11 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 63.6%, and had 4 rebounds.

Duke has a win-loss record of 10-2 for the season. The Blue Devils are committing 15.9 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 73.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.2 times per contest (75th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 10.4 times per contest. Duke has scored 947 pts so far this year (78.9 per contest) and they collect 40.0 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Blue Devils are hitting on 46.4% from the field, which has them ranked 126th in Division 1.

The Duke defense gives up 28.6% on shots from 3-point land (78 of 273) and opponents are converting on 78.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 11.3 dimes and 33.0 total boards per game, which is 79th and 116th in those defensive categories. The Blue Devils on the defensive side of the court are 7th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 58.5. They are forcing their opponents into 13.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 35.5% from the floor (5th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Virginia Tech

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