College Basketball Betting: Wake Forest Travels for Clash at Virginia Tech

Annually, the Atlantic Coast Conference is one of the toughest basketball circuits within college hoops.

This Saturday, the ACC will be on full display as the regular season begins to wind down. For an early evening romp, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will head to Blacksburg, VA where the Virginia Tech Hokies await.

As conference foes, these same sides have already played head-to-one once this year. For that bid, the Demon Deacons were victorious on their own floor in Winston-Salem. Still, can V.T. turn the tables in front of their own student section?

All NCAA basketball odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Wake Forest-Virginia Tech Betting Odds

Betting Odds: Spread, Moneyline and Total

Tipoff: Saturday (Mar. 2), 5:30 p.m. ET on CW Network

Spread: Wake Forest -1.5 (-102)

Moneyline:

• Wake Forest: -110
• Virginia Tech: -110

Total: 149.5 (-110/-110)

Wake Forest at Virginia Tech Matchup Analysis

The Demon Deacons have undergone an up-and-down campaign in 2023-24. Thus far, Wake Forest has played to a 18-10 overall record (10-7 ACC). However, in games played on the road, the Deacs are a dismal 2-8 this year.

Virginia Tech is currently participating in Year Five under head coach Mike Young. Through that span, the Hokies have shelled out wildly different results. In 2024, they are just above .500 overall. Still, within ACC action, V.T. shows a 7-10 record; that leaves them 10th in-conference heading into the weekend.

Above, I referenced the most recent Wake Forest-Virginia Tech meeting. Last December, the Hokies traveled down to North Carolina only to endure a hellish scoring onslaught from the Demon Deacons. WFU went for 44 points in the first half, and VA Tech never managed to catch up; the Deacs claimed victory by a final score of 86-63.

WFU head coach Steve Forbes has won 62 regular-season games through the past three seasons in Winston-Salem, which is quite impressive when you consider the ACC's overall basketball prowess. Regardless, we should expect close competition in Blacksburg this weekend -- ESPN Analytics views Saturday's bid as a near 50-50 contest.

For the Demon Deacons, junior guard Hunter Sallis is the statistical and spiritual leader for 2024. Thus far, the 6-foot-5 Sallis has gone for 18.3 PPG. To complete Wake Forest's backcourt duo, sophomore Kevin Miller is also a high-skill player. Entering March, Miller has scored 15.5 PPG with 3.8 APG (team high). In the last clash with the Hokies, Sallis -- whose 20-piece led all scorers -- and Miller combined for 34 points.

V.T. has been powered by junior point guard Sean Pedulla. Standing at just 6-foot-1, Pedulla is a crafty scorer, as he currently paces the Hokies with 15.7 PPG. For the past three seasons, his running mate has been big-man Lynn Kidd. A center from Gainesville, FL, Kidd is Virginia Tech's top rebounder (6.5 RPG).

Wake Forest at Virginia Tech Best Bet

Wake Forest ML (-110)

Simply, I do not have faith in the Hokies flipping the script on WFU.

Despite the Deacs' road woes in 2024, I believe they are in an advantageous position to defeat a team that Wake Forest previously trounced by 20-plus. With the moneylines currently labeled as a pick 'em (-110/-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook, I am deterred from the ATS market -- let's ride with the Demon Deacons straight up!

At numberFire, the game projections are also on Wake Forest's side, yielding an estimated score of 72.01-71.18 for Saturday. When it comes to numberFire's college basketball power rankings, Wake Forest (12.43 nERD) is positioned 26th in the nation while VA Tech (8.47 nERD) is much further down at 61st. ESPN's analytics are narrowly with WFU as well, giving the Deacs a 50.7% chance of victory in Blacksburg.

Last time the Deacs and Hokies squared off, all five Wake Forest starters produced double-digit point totals. That should instill confidence in WFU on this short road trip north. Rather than laying any points, I am on the visiting team to steal a win at standard pricing (-110 odds).

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.