InvestorsHub Logo
Followers 134
Posts 200475
Boards Moderated 19
Alias Born 12/16/2002

Re: None

Friday, 02/08/2019 8:59:17 AM

Friday, February 08, 2019 8:59:17 AM

Post# of 25940
No. 2 Duke eyes sweep of No. 3 Virginia
STATS/TSX•Feb 8, 2019, 4:30 AM

No. 2 Duke eyes sweep of No. 3 Virginia

When No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Virginia meet on the hardwood for the second time this season on Saturday night in Charlottesville, Va., it will mark just the fifth game pitting two Top 10 teams since Jan. 1.

This matchup has accounted for two of the showdowns.

Duke (20-2, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is looking for second win over Virginia (20-1, 8-1) in three weeks but will have to weather one of the best atmospheres in the country at John Paul Jones Arena, a place where the Blue Devils have had success at in the past.

Virginia has not knocked off Duke in Charlottesville since 2013, losing twice at home to the Blue Devils since then. The Cavaliers will have to bounce back from their 72-70 loss at Durham, N.C., on Jan. 19, their lone setback of the season.

Despite producing their second-worst defensive efficiency performance this season and shooting just 3 of 17 from three-point range, the Cavaliers never wavered and still found themselves in the game with a chance to win.

"That was our game," Virginia guard Ty Jerome said after the loss. "We had that game. We lost it. We made mistakes that we can control."

Jerome, who scored 14 points in the loss at Duke, is expected to play on Saturday despite missing Virginia's most recent game, Feb. 2 against Miami, due to a sore back.

Duke was short-handed in last month's tussle when freshman point guard Tre Jones was forced to miss the game with a sprained shoulder. Jones' presence this time around should provide a unique wrinkle. He has accumulated 19 assists in four games since his return, and has averaged 12 points in the Blue Devils' past two games.

"Ever since we beat St. John's (on Feb. 2), the only thing you see on ESPN is our game against Virginia," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after his team's Tuesday blowout of Boston College. "Nothing about this game. All of the shows and everything. That's the world these guys live in."

Freshmen RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson scored 57 of Duke's 72 points in the first meeting with Virginia, and they took 35 of the team's 51 shots. The Blue Devils didn't get a single point from their reserves.

"Coach K gave us the freedom to be us," Williamson said after the game. "When there's movement for (me, Barrett and Jones), no telling what we can do."

Virginia's defense continues to lead the country in opponents' scoring (52.9 points per game). The Cavaliers will try to redeem themselves after letting the Blue Devils tally the most points scored against Virginia this season.

"We're a solid defensive team," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said after the loss. "But tonight, we were not solid enough."

The Blue Devils wound up with a 13-8 advantage in second-chance points.

"It wasn't about effort, we just weren't sound," Bennett said. "Sometimes, it was just not boxing out or they make an amazing or athletic play, but that's what we can't let be acceptable. That hurt us, and those were points that if we did our job wouldn't happen."

Virginia and Duke enter their showdown in a three-way tie with No. 8 North Carolina atop the ACC standings. After the Saturday game, the Cavaliers will have just one day off before traveling to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels on Monday night. Duke plays again Tuesday night at No. 16 Louisville.

--Field Level Media

Join the InvestorsHub Community

Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.