The Duke Blue Devils (17-7, 8-5 ACC) travel to face the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers (18-4, 10-3 ACC) Saturday in what is likely to be a slow-paced game.
Duke was dominated by the Miami (FL) Hurricanes 81-59 at Watsco Center on Monday. Dereck Lively II was the key player in the losing effort with 11 points and five blocks. The Blue Devils remain sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Virginia won their sixth in a row at home on Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena, beating the North Carolina State Wolfpack 63-50. Jayden Gardner had 18 points to lead the team. The Cavaliers are first in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The teams are meeting for the only time this season. Duke and Virginia split their matchups last season, taking one game apiece.
The Blue Devils earned the win in the last meeting 65-61 at John Paul Jones Arena in February 2022. Kihei Clark led the game in scoring with 25 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the loss. Jeremy Roach had 15 points for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils have been led this season by Kyle Filipowski, who is averaging 15.5 points per game. Filipowski also has grabbed 9.3 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Tyrese Proctor is dishing 2.8 assists.
Armaan Franklin (12.2 ppg), Gardner (11.5), and Clark (11.4) have powered the Cavaliers’ offense. Gardner also has posted 5.1 rebounds per game, while Clark has tallied 6.0 assists per game, 10th-most in the country.
Half-court execution will be critical in this matchup that showcases a pair of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Cavaliers and the Blue Devils rank 360th and 292nd, respectively, in possessions per game.
Duke is 6-4 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +0.5 (69.2-68.7). For the season, the Blue Devils are averaging 71.9 points per game, compared to 64.1 for opponents. Virginia has gone 8-2 over the last 10, scoring 69.8 points per game on average while holding opponents to 62.8 (+7.0 margin).
BLUE DEVILS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Dereck Lively II: 16.0 | 9.4 | +6.6
Dariq Whitehead: 2.2 | 7.9 | -5.7
Points per game:
Jeremy Roach: 13.8 | 10.8 | +3.0
Rebounds per game:
Ryan Young: 4.0 | 6.2 | -2.2
Assists per game:
Tyrese Proctor: 4.6 | 2.8 | +1.8
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jayden Gardner: 22.4 | 17.2 | +5.2
Kadin Shedrick: 5.4 | 10.8 | -5.4
Points per game:
Jayden Gardner: 15.6 | 11.5 | +4.1
Ben Vander Plas: 4.2 | 7.2 | -3.0
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Virginia -6.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
