The Wednesday college basketball betting menu focuses squarely on a pair of blueblood programs, neither of which are the defending regular-season champions from their respective conferences.
The marquee attraction among Wednesday’s early slate of games is a much-anticipated ACC rematch between No. 7 Duke and Virginia. The Blue Devils will be seeking vengeance for a last-second home loss to the Cavaliers earlier this month — and beyond revenge, Duke needs to the win to bolster its slim lead in the ACC standings.
In later action, No. 6 Kentucky (11-3) welcomes LSU to Rupp Arena. Like Duke, the Wildcats will be looking to avenge a recent loss at LSU. John Calipari’s squad also is hoping to keep pace with No. 3 Auburn (12-2) in the SEC title chase.
Props.com breaks down the Wednesday college basketball betting odds for Duke-Virginia and LSU-Kentucky.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 1:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 23.
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No. 7 Duke Vs Virginia
Tipoff/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN
Duke: 23-4 SU (13-3 ACC)/15-10-2 ATS
Virginia: 17-10 SU (11-6 ACC)/14-13 ATS
Spread/Total: Duke -5 (-110)/131 (Under -120)
Last meeting: Virginia traveled to Durham, N.C., two weeks ago and shocked the Blue Devils 69-68 as an 11-point road underdog (Feb. 7)
Did you know: The underdog has covered in 11 consecutive meetings in this rivalry, with eight outright upsets (including four in a row)
About Duke: The Blue Devils have won four straight games since their loss to Virginia, including Saturday’s 88-70 thumping of Florida State . Duke barely cashed as a 16.5-point home favorite, but is still just 2-3 ATS in its last five outings. Duke leads the ACC in multiple categories, scoring offense (80.1 ppg, 15th nationally), field-goal shooting (48.4%), rebounds (39.3 per game), assists (17.4 per contest), and blocks (5.5 per game).
About Virginia: The surging Cavaliers have prevailed in five of their last six games, including Saturday’s 74-71 comeback victory over Miami as a 2-point road underdog. The last time the Cavs faced a nationally ranked opponent at home was March 7, 2020 (57-54 victory over No. 10 Louisville) — just before the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In ACC circles, Virginia ranks first in scoring defense (allowing 60.1 ppg, 11th nationally) and second in blocks (4.7 per game). However, the Cavaliers are scoring just 63.4 ppg, which ranks 14th in the 15-team league.
What’s At Stake: Duke (13-3), which hasn’t won the ACC regular-season title since 2010, leads Notre Dame (12-4) by a game in the league standings. Miami and North Carolina (both 12-5) are 1.5 games back, with all four squads having four conference games remaining. The Blue Devils rate 12th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, suggesting they’re in the hunt for a 2- or 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s a different story for Virginia, however. The Cavs are tied for fifth place in the ACC and are currently 82nd in NET rankings — in other words, they’re desperate for another résumé-enhancing victory.
Players To Watch
Duke freshman Paolo Banchero continues to pace his team in scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounds (8.4 ppg). The 6-foot-10 forward also ranks in the top three in steals (3rd), blocks (2nd), and free-throw shooting (3rd). Banchero has eight double-doubles and has scored in double figures in every game this season but one: He had just nine points in the Feb. 7 loss to Virginia.
Virginia forward Jayden Gardner had a team-high 17 points in his team’s upset victory at Duke. The 6-foot-8 senior heads into the Wednesday college basketball betting action leading the Cavaliers in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounds (7.1), and free-throw shooting (82.1%). He’s scored in double figures in 10 straight games; topped 20 points in five of its last 17 outings; and posted six double-doubles on the season.
Notable Trends
- Duke is 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS in ACC road games
- Duke is 5-1 ATS in its last six as a favorite of 7 points or less (all vs. ACC teams)
- Virginia is 5-1 SU/4-1-1 ATS in its last six overall and its last six at home
- Over is 5-1 in Duke’s last six overall
- Over is 7-3 in Virginia’s last 10 overall
- Road team is 8-2 ATS in the last nine regular-season meetings
- Over is 4-1 in the last five series clashes
- The last five meetings have produced a combined scoring average of 134.8 points (slightly above Wednesday’s 131-point total
Duke Vs Virginia Odds and Action
UPDATE 2:25 P.M. ET: Duke opened -4 at PointsBet USA, but the spread now sits at -5.5 (-105). Despite the fact the underdog has covered 11 straight times in this rivalry, the Blue Devils are capturing 80% of spread tickets and 82% of spread money. The total is down a tick from 130 to 129.5, even though 84% of the tickets and 92% of the cash are on the Over.
LSU Vs No. 6 Kentucky
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/ESPN
LSU: 19-8 SU (7-7 SEC)/16-11 ATS
Kentucky: 22-5 SU (11-3 SEC)/13-14 ATS
Spread/Total: Kentucky -7.5 (-110)/143
Last meeting: LSU held off Kentucky 65-60 last month as a 2-point home favorite (Jan. 4)
Did you know: The straight-up winner is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 series meetings, including 5-0 ATS in the last five
About LSU-Kentucky: The Tigers had won three consecutive games prior to Saturday’s 77-75 loss at South Carolina as a 4.5-point road chalk. LSU started the season 15-1 SU/13-3 ATS but is just 4-7SU/3-8 ATS since. Heading the other direction is Kentucky, which has won seven of its last eight, including Saturday’s 90-81 victory over Alabama as a 6-point home favorite. The Wildcats are in second place in the SEC, one game behind Auburn, while the Tigers are tied for fifth. Kentucky leads the SEC in scoring offense (80.9 ppg, 9th nationally), field-goal shooting (48.7%), 3-point proficiency (36.3%), rebounds (41.1 per game), and assists (16.7 per contest). LSU ranks first in steals 11.3 per game) and sixth in scoring offense (73.1 ppg).
Notable Trends
- LSU is 1-4 ATS in its last five road games
- Kentucky is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 overall, alternating spread-covers in its last eight
- Kentucky is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 at home
- Over is 7-1 in LSU’s last eight overall
- Over is 6-1 in Kentucky’s last seven at home
- Four of the last five series meetings were decided by 5, 3, 2 and 3 points
- Over is 5-1 in the last six head-to-head battles
LSU Vs Kentucky Odds and Action
UPDATE 2:25 P.M. ET: After opening as an 8-point favorite against LSU, Kentucky is down to -7.5 but with some juice (-115). Contrary to that line move, all the action at PointsBet USA has been on the host Wildcats, who are garnering 71% of all wagers and 65% of the cash. The total opened at 142.5 and remains there, with 68% of the bets and 64% of the money on the Over.
