The biggest college basketball game of the season so far takes place on Saturday and here’s what to watch for from Duke and Virginia who are battling for the ACC.
The middle of January is one of the most fun times to be a college hoops fan. Now a few weeks into conference play, even more, weight than normal is carried for those who bear the burden of championship dreams. Two of those perennial contenders go head to head on Saturday when No. 4 Virginia takes on No. 1 Duke at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN in what could be the game of the year.
Though so many differences separate these two programs, much remains the same in the success they’ve seen, Between the two elite teams, there’s just one loss, which came in a Duke loss to the Syracuse Orange earlier this week.
Saturday night at Cameron Indoor, two of the best college basketball programs go head to head. Let’s break down the matchup.
Virginia Cavaliers
Picture, if you will, a long-form story, with many pages and twists and turns. The story, methodical and slow in writing, is incredibly rewarding to the reader upon reaching the end. Such is the nature of this year’s Virginia Cavaliers’ basketball team.
Head coach Tony Bennett leads his seasoned group of veterans into each contest. Led by experience and system proficiency, the team’s top six scorers are all 21-years old. The team is composed of zero five-star recruits, and zero players in the top 40 of their respective classes. The team’s top-rated player comes in junior guard Kyle Guy, who was ranked No. 43 in the class of 2016.
The story takes time to develop, drawing readers into the action through (sometimes pain-staking) growth. It is slow but successful.
The Cavaliers offense comes into this game ranking at 353rd in possessions per game, averaging just over 60 possessions. For example, Virginia’s dominant win over No. 9 Virginia Tech came with just 56 possessions. The slow-but-purposeful offense comes with an average of 20.4 seconds per possession, second slowest in the country.
But like the novel listed, above, the slow-paced offense comes with viable and legitimate rewards at the end. Virginia’s tempo-controlling offensive style has stifled opponents, and dictated games, allowing a second-best 82.7 points per 100 possessions.
On the journey to avenge what may have been the worst loss in NCAA tournament history last year, Virginia has picked up wins over three teams in the top 25. Led by top-scorers Kyle Guy and De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome, their journey continues Saturday at Cameron Indoor as the experienced Cavaliers meet head-on with the star-studded Blue Devils.
Duke Blue Devils
Though sharing similar success as Virginia, like the fastest of short stories, this Duke team captures attention through speed and effectiveness. Duke has the seventh fastest offense in the NCAA, with 75.6 possessions per game which average just 14.7 seconds per possession, putting them at 11th fastest in that category.
At times this year, the Blue Devils have appeared a team unbeatable. Mixing sheer athleticism with speed and shooting ability, Duke’s struggles have been few and far between.
However, their dominating season led by the famed freshman triumvirate of R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish and Wooden Award front-runner, Zion Williamson took a stumble Monday as they fell in overtime at home to unranked Syracuse. Duke was without Reddish and lost Tre Jones due to an injured shoulder that cost the Blue Devils. Reddish will return for the game against the Cavaliers, but Jones is day-to-day and may miss the game.
Duke fell at the hands of Syracuse in a game where the star-power of this sometimes-otherworldly team seemed to stutter, even if just a bit.
The injury to Jones is a huge deal going into Saturday’s game, as he leads the team by far, averaging 5.7 assists in 29.3 minutes per game. Jones is pivotal to the flow of the Blue Devils offense, and they struggled without him in their loss against the Orange.
Though it will be interesting to see how Coach K adjusts his game-plan going into Saturday’s game, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils have plenty of talent and athleticism to put on a show and regain traction on Saturday night at home.
Virginia currently sits at No. 1 in the AP poll, and Virginia is No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. In the KenPom Rankings, the teams sit at No. 1 and No. 2, with Virginia holding the top spot. Saturday’s game could very well be a Final Four preview and could be the best regular season game so far.