Virginia at Wake Forest odds, picks and predictions
The Virginia Cavaliers (11-4, 2-2 ACC) and Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-4, 3-1) meet Saturday. The opening tipoff at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum will be at 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Virginia vs. Wake Forest odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Virginia, which since 2015 is 9-1 in this series, has lost each of its last 3 road games and has recently struggled in getting to the free-throw line and in getting stops on defense. The Cavaliers are 2-3 straight up and 2-3 against the spread (ATS) since Dec. 19. That includes a 76-60 loss (as a +1) at North Carolina State in their most recent game, last Saturday.
The Demon Deacons lost 3 times before Thanksgiving but then enjoyed a perimeter-driven surge. From Nov. 24-Jan. 26, Wake Forest won 9 straight, shooting 39.3% from distance along the way. The WFU win streak was snapped Tuesday at Florida State when the favored-by-3 Deacons suffered an 87-82 setback.
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Virginia at Wake Forest odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Virginia +205 (bet $100 to win $205) | Wake Forest -255 (bet $255 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Virginia +5.5 (-102) | Wake Forest -5.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 130.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Virginia at Wake Forest picks and predictions
Prediction
Virginia 67, Wake Forest 66
Moneyline
UVA won by 9 (76-67) on this floor last season (Jan. 21) and since 2014 is 10-1 against the Deacons.
The patient Cavaliers are solid in getting dunks and other high-quality, near-proximity looks. Peg the home five here as being a bit fade-worthy; the shooting touch displayed last month was perhaps more than what can be sustained.
As a betting proposition, the ML play is worth waiting and holding out for a +210. Otherwise PASS.
Against the spread
Much of the market has the Cavaliers getting +6. That's a solid cushion and worth holding out for. PASS for now, but grab UVA if the point spread climbs.
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Over/Under
Sixteen consecutive Wake Forest January games have hit the Over.
The Deacons have scored 80-plus in 7 straight games. The last 35 times WFU has tallied 80-or-more in a game, the Over has cashed 25 times.
Virinia plays at a glacially slow tempo. And nobody gets this more than ACC foes. The Over is 5-1 across the Wahoos' last 6 games against ACC opponents.
Both sides rank in the nation's top 75 in 3-point accuracy.
All that being said, this was a case in which savvy Over bettors were hoping for a tag in the 120s. BET THE OVER 130.5 (-115), but pull back on the throttle and make this one a partial-unit play.
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