The Blue Devils will try pull out another big road victory when No. 10 Duke opens its ACC schedule on the road against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday night. The Blue Devils are playing their second road game in four days after beating No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday, while the Hokies have had a nine-day layoff since the Maui Invitational before Thanksgiving. Duke is the only ACC school that hasn't played a conference game yet, and it will be without key freshman Cassius Stanley, who has a hamstring injury. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The Blue Devil are seven-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. Virginia Tech odds, while the over-under is 143. Before making any Duke vs. Virginia Tech picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns. 

Now, the model has analyzed Duke vs. Virginia Tech. We can tell you it's leaning over, but it's also generated an extremely strong against-the-spread pick that hits in almost 70 percent of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see it. Now, here are the betting lines and trends for Virginia Tech vs. Duke:

  • Duke vs. Virginia Tech spread: Blue Devils -7
  • Duke vs. Virginia Tech over-under: 143
  • Duke vs. Virginia Tech money line: Blue Devils -309, Hokies +242
  • Duke: F Vernon Carey has seven consecutive double-doubles.
  • Virginia Tech: Freshman Landers Nolley has scored in double figures in every game.

The Blue Devils have a devastating inside-outside pair in freshman forward Vernon Carey and sophomore guard Tre Jones. Carey scored 26 points and had 11 rebounds against the Spartans on Tuesday night, and Jones had 20 points and 12 assists to help make up for Stanley's absence. Matthew Hurt scored 10 points to up his season average at 10.8, and fellow forwards Joey Baker and Javin DeLaurier both scored in double figures off the bench.

The Blue Devils have gone with a bigger lineup due to a lack of quality guard depth, and Baker can shoot from anywhere. The sophomore forward has made 11 of his 21 3-point attempts (52.4 percent), while he and Carey both shoot 60 percent from the floor. Junior guards Jordan Goldwire and Alex O'Connell are working more into the rotation, and freshman forward Wendell Moore, who is averaging 6.7 points, was a top recruit and should have a bigger role with Stanley out.  

But just because the Blue Devils have top-end talent doesn't mean they will cover the Duke vs. Virginia Tech spread.

The home team is 6-1 against the spread in the last seven meetings between the teams, and the Hokies are getting big-time performances from Nolley. The redshirt freshman had eligibility issues, but he is scoring a team-high 20 points per game and pulls down 5.1 rebounds. Nolley shoots 50.9 percent from 3-point range, making 27 of his 53 tries. The only other Virginia Tech player scoring in double figures is freshman guard Nahiem Alleyne at 11.8.

The underdog has covered the spread four times in the last five meetings between the teams, and Virginia Tech has a do-everything guard in Wabissa Bede. The junior averages 7.3 assists per game and also scores 6.8 points, grabs 4.5 rebounds and averages 1.3 steals. Guard Jalen Cone and forward P.J. Horne also can shoot from outside, with Cone at 57.1 percent (12 of 21) and Horne at 56.0 (14 of 25) from beyond the arc.

So who wins Virginia Tech vs. Duke? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Virginia Tech vs. Duke spread to back on Friday, all from the advanced model that has returned almost $3,000 on its top-rated college basketball picks.