Virginia vs Albany (NY) Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 28 (Cavaliers Bounce Back in Front of Home Crowd)

Virginia vs Albany (NY) Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• No. 13 Virginia (8-2) vs. Albany (NY) (5-9)
• Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
• Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: John Paul Jones Arena -- Charlottesville, Virginia

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Wednesday with a thrilling matchup between the Albany (NY) Great Danes and No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers. Albany is coming off an 83-78 win over Northern Illinois on Dec. 20 where Gerald Drumgoole Jr. posted a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Virginia's second half comeback attempt fell short in a 66-64 loss to Miami on Dec. 20. It has now dropped back-to-back games following a great 8-0 start. Ben Vander Plas scored a team-high 20 points, while Reece Beekman flirted with a triple-double (10 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists).

Virginia vs Albany (NY) Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: UVA: (-8000) | ALBANY: (+2200)
• Spread: UVA: -27.5 (-110) | ALBANY: +27.5 (-110)
• Total: 127.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Virginia enters this contest as heavy home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 6 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 127.5 points, which is below average compared to Wednesday's projected totals.

Virginia vs Albany (NY) Betting Trends

• Against the spread, Virginia is 3-7-0 this season.
• The Cavaliers don't have a win ATS (0-1) as a 28.5-point favorite or greater this season.
• There have been five Virginia's games (out of 10) that went over the total this year.
• Albany (NY) is 5-7-0 against the spread this season.
• Albany (NY) has played 12 games this year, and eight of them have hit the over.

Virginia Rank	Virginia AVG		Albany (NY) AVG	Albany (NY) Rank
226th	70.2	Points Scored	68.0	291st
18th	59.8	Points Allowed	74.9	316th
296th	30.1	Rebounds	30.7	270th
328th	6.7	Off. Rebounds	9.6	128th
246th	6.9	3pt Made	7.9	147th
76th	15.4	Assists	12.1	274th
4th	9.1	Turnovers	13.4	264th

Virginia vs Albany (NY) Prediction & Pick

The Cavaliers desperately need to get things back on track and draw a perfect matchup to do just that on Wednesday night. Albany ranks 291st when it comes to offensive efficiency and 318th when it comes to defensive efficiency. The Great Danes continue to struggle on both ends of the court.

Virginia is once again thriving on defense this season as it allows only 59.8 points per game (No. 16 in NCAA). The Cavaliers also allow an opponent two-point shooting percentage of just 43.9% (No. 28 in NCAA). Without an ability to score around the rim, Albany is going to have a hard time keeping up.

Virginia is 11-1 straight up in its last 12 games against an American East opponent, so I'll back the Cavaliers.

Final Score Prediction: Virginia: 75 | Albany (NY): 53

Virginia vs Albany (NY) Best Bet

Virginia could keep its foot on the pedal in this one in order to earn a statement win, but head coach Tony Bennett has shown a tendency to take it easy in the second half of blowout wins. The Cavaliers have failed to cover in two of their three games in which they were favored by more than 24 points.

It doesn't help that Virginia is a dismal 0-6 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games overall and 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games, too. Albany hasn't fared much better on the road, but all the Great Danes have to do here is stay ready and keep the deifcit within 27 points by the final whistle.

Bet: Albany Great Danes +27.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.