The Good, Bad and Ugly of Virginia’s 74–70 ACC Championship Loss to Duke

The Virginia Cavaliers faced a loss in the ACC Championship Game.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

As expected, the Virginia Cavaliers' ACC Championship matchup against the Duke Blue Devils was incredibly taxing. The Cavaliers ultimately walked away with a nail-biting 74-70 loss to the Blue Devils, but it can't be denied that the Hoos played a tough game.

Before entering this matchup, head coach Ryan Odom stated:

"Me growing up in Charlottesville, I've only seen very few ACC championships, so to be able to play in one is like a dream come true. And then obviously, Coach Odom's history, he's been to a couple. It's just a full-circle moment. It's a great memory, and I'm just blessed to be part of it."

With the game now over, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of how things unfolded.

The Good

Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

• Virginia maintained pace throughout this game and led early on, but eventually swapped leads with Duke. Despite this, the Cavaliers were able to swap leads throughout and held their own, maintaining a tight score.

• Ugonna Onyenso surged ahead with nine blocks. This year, Onyenso has done a phenomenal job at blocking shots while managing to avoid significant foul trouble. This is rather unheard of for the Cavaliers, and Onyenso managed to pull off one of his strongest performances tonight.

• Attacking the rim was strong throughout the game, with both Dallin Hall and Maik Thomas having notable attacks at the rim. The Cavaliers weren't inefficient in this department, but it simply wasn't enough to come out on top of the Blue Devils, who capitalized on every opportunity handed to them.

The Bad

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

• Pulling ahead was, of course, a great challenge for UVA. As the game progressed, leads were swapped, but this was to be expected. The Blue Devils are incredibly proficient on both sides of the ball, and they did not shy away on Saturday night.

• The Hoos ultimately faced a frustrating loss, but it must be noted that they tested Duke's play on both sides of the ball. This was not a seamless matchup for the Blue Devils, and the Cavaliers had a strong chance at coming out on top.

The Ugly

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas and Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

• Navigating such a close game as Saturday's matchup is never ideal, but the Hoos played a hard-fought game. Pulling off a victory was not going to be an easy undertaking, but the Cavaliers battled it out right until the end. There wasn't a truly ugly moment of this matchup—Virginia hustled throughout the game and remained fairly diligent on both sides of the ball. The game wasn't theirs, but their efforts shouldn't be diminished by any means.