The No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers (10-2, 2-1 ACC) visit the Pittsburgh Panthers (10-4, 3-0) Tuesday for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff at Petersen Events Center (ACC Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Virginia vs. Pittsburgh odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Virginia beat Georgia Tech 74-56 Saturday to cover as a 9-point road favorite. It was the 1st time the Cavaliers covered a spread in their previous 8 games. On the season, they are 4-8 against the spread (ATS). Virginia’s strength is its defense, which ranks 11th in the nation in points allowed per game (58.3).
Pittsburgh beat North Carolina 76-74 Friday, covering as a 6.5-point home underdog. The Panthers have covered the spread 9 straight times. Overall, they are 10-3-1 ATS. Pittsburgh ranks 31st in rebounds per game (39.9) and 28th defensive rebounds per game (28.3).
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Virginia at Pittsburgh odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:14 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Virginia -280 (bet $280 to win $100) | Pittsburgh +200 (bet $100 to win $200)
- Against the spread: Virginia -5.5 (-115) | Pittsburgh +5.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 127.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Virginia at Pittsburgh picks and predictions
Prediction
Virginia 63, Pittsburgh 59
Moneyline
PASS.
Virginia (-280) doesn’t present enough value in risk vs. return (2.8 for 1).
Against the spread
BET PITTSBURGH +5.5 (-105).
The Panthers have been on an ATS tear recently, covering in their last 9 games. Coming off a big win against UNC, they are trying to make a push into the Top 25. They have to feel slighted as they didn’t receive any votes in the recent Coaches or AP Polls.
The Cavaliers rank 185th in free-throw percentage (70.5%) and 297th in rebounds per game (33.1). Until they find a way to improve on these metrics, they will continue leaving crucial points off the board, which will allow for a PITTSBURGH +5.5 (-105) cover Tuesday night.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 127.5 (-115).
Virginia ranks 120th field-goal percentage (45.8%), while Pittsburgh ranks 147 (45.2%). In a highly touted ACC matchup, the energy combined with the competitiveness will impact each teams’ ability to score.
In their previous 10 head-to-head meetings, the O/U line has only been above 127.5 once and the Under hit in that game. In the 10-game span, they have only put up more than 127 points 3 times — and one was an overtime game.
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