Game Preview: Virginia Basketball at Duke

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (14-9, 8-5 ACC) vs. Duke Blue Devils (19-3, 9-2 ACC)

When: Monday, February 7th at 7pm

Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina

How to watch: ESPN

All-time series: Duke leads 122-52

Last meeting: Duke defeated Virginia 66-65 on February 20, 2021 in Durham.

By the Numbers

Virginia	By the Numbers	Duke
63.2	Points Per Game	80.7
59.5	Opponent PPG	64.8
45.7%	Field Goal %	48.7%
42.4%	Opponent FG %	40.0%
33.8%	Three-Point FG %	36.6%
34.7%	Opponent 3PT FG %	30.0%
+9	Rebounding Margin	+92
+28	Turnover Margin	+43
88th	Net Ranking	10th
109th	RPI	11th

Opponent Breakdown: Duke

Notable results: Kentucky (79-71 W), Gonzaga (84-81 W), Ohio State (71-66 L), Virginia Tech (76-65 W), Miami (76-74 L), Wake Forest (76-64 W), Florida State (79-78 L), Notre Dame (57-43 W), North Carolina (87-67 W)

In Coach K's final season, the Blue Devils certainly have the talent (once again) for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Duke's roster is loaded with talented players at every position. Just a glance at the individual statistics will show how the Blue Devils have started the season 19-3, including wins over Gonzaga and Kentucky.

Duke is led by freshman sensation Paolo Banchero, who is currently sixth in the ACC in scoring at 17.5 points per game and 4th in the ACC in rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per game. His size and athleticism allows him to get anywhere on the floor at will and he has a lethal mid-range game.

Wendell Moore is the seasoned veteran of the team and the quarterback of the offense. He is averaging 4.5 assists per game, tied for third in the ACC, and is also averaging 14.2 points per game on 53.2% shooting from the floor and 40.3% from three. Jeremy Roach is seventh in the ACC with 3.8 assists per game and also scores 7.7 points per contest.

AJ Griffin is the ACC's leader in three-point shooting at 50.0% and he scores just under 10 points per game. Trevor Keels averages 1.8 steals per game, good for third in the ACC, and also averages double figures with 11.4 points per game.

Sophomore center Mark Williams might have the most impressive stat sheet on the Duke roster. The Virginia Beach native leads the team in shooting percentage at 69.9%, which is also second in the ACC. He is the conference's leader in shot-blocking at 3.1 blocks per game and 8th in the ACC in rebounding at 7.0 rebounds per game to go along with 9.9 points per game. Everywhere you look on the floor, Duke has a capable and talented player filling that position. The Cavaliers will have their hands full.

What to Watch For

Maintaining momentum

UVA has won back-to-back games for the first time since early January and the Cavaliers will be eager to keep that streak going. Standing in their way is a Duke team that has won five games in a row, the latest of which being a 20-point smackdown over UNC in the Dean Dome on Saturday. The odds are stacked against the Wahoos in this one, but they certainly have a lot more to play for than the Blue Devils as UVA tries to make a late push towards the NCAA Tournament. Desperation can be an effective motivator.

Duke individual scorers vs. Virginia team defense

Duke is stacked with talent up and down the roster, which has been par for the course for the Blue Devils under Coach K. Duke leads the ACC in scoring at 80.7 points per game. Even with an above-average performance from the UVA offense, the Virginia defense will need to be exceptional in coming up with stops in order for the Cavaliers (63.2 ppg) to have any chance of keeping pace with the Blue Devils. Duke's individual scorers are capable of creating shots for themselves and making them at a high percentage. To some extent, the Blue Devils making contested shots is inevitable. The task of the UVA defense will be to make sure that the majority of Duke's looks are contested. That strategy worked quite well on Saturday against Miami, another team with tremendous individual scorers, who also have some experience beating Duke in Cameron this season.

Cavaliers in Cameron

Virginia has won just a single game at Duke since 1995. The Blue Devils have a 59-11 advantage over the Cavaliers in games played in Durham. Duke's home-court advantage is unparalleled and overcoming it will take a fantastic performance on both ends of the floor for UVA. The Cavaliers showed that they are capable of delivering such a performance in their convincing 71-58 win over Miami, one of the better teams in the ACC. However, most of the Virginia roster have not experienced the challenge of playing a game in front of a capacity crowd at Cameron Indoor. How Virginia handles one of the most hostile environments in all of college basketball will determine if the Hoos have a chance in this one or not.

Game Details

By the Numbers

Opponent Breakdown: Duke

What to Watch For

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