VP of Vegas Sportsbook Reveals Hypothetical Spread for Cavaliers vs. Duke

Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and the rest of the star-studded Duke Blue Devils would be 22.5-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a hypothetical matchup between college basketball's national championship favorites and the owners of the NBA's worst record. 

Jay Kornegay, the vice president of Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook, provided the projected betting line to Bryan Mears of the Action Network on Tuesday.

Although it's a significant line and confirms any NBA team would be a massive favorite against collegiate competition, it also shows the Cavs wouldn't be a total lock against Duke.

Last season, the Virginia Cavaliers were identical 22.5-point favorites in the NCAA tournament against the UMBC Retrievers, who became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed.

The Blue Devils possess a remarkable collection of freshman talent in Williamson, Barrett, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones. It's possible all four will leave Duke after the season and become first-round NBA draft picks, including three potential top-10 picks in Williamson, Barrett and Reddish.

Duke dominated the Kentucky Wildcats, ranked No. 2 in the preseason, by 34 points in its season opener, immediately leading to questions about whether it could run the table. Losses to the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Syracuse Orange showed the loaded team isn't invincible, though.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are already starting to focus on the future after losing LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency over the summer.

Cleveland is 9-39—2.5 games worse than any other NBA team—and has little incentive to improve since it loses its first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks if it lands outside the top 10 as part of the January 2017 trade for Kyle Korver.

So there's a strong possibility one of those Duke standouts becomes a Cavs cornerstone later this year.