The Duke Blue Devils face perhaps their biggest test yet as the Virginia Cavaliers come to Cameron Indoor for one of the best games of the season.
College basketball fans have seen the hype train for the Duke Blue Devils going full-steam ahead all season long. That’s been for good reason, but this is a team that just suffered their second loss of the season. And on Saturday, they welcome their toughest test yet to Cameron Indoor Stadium as they face off with the still-perfect and highly potent Virginia Cavaliers.
Unfortunately for Duke, they enter this big top-five matchup shorthanded. Tre Jones’ injury suffered against Syracuse will be felt in this game as he runs the offense. And with Cam Reddish dealing with an illness, that likely means that Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett will have to be at their very best. Of course, they’re more than capable of that.
That said, this Virginia team might be the best in the country. Not only does Tony Bennett’s team again have one of the top defenses in the country, but they are lights out on offense this season. With the combo of DeAndre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy, this team can put up big numbers on the scoreboard while stifling opponents defensively. It’s a dangerous combo.
WATCH College Basketball ON ESPN+: Get your free 7-day trial of ESPN+
There’s good reason that Virginia is unbeaten to this point, but they need to make a statement. Though Duke will be hungry coming off an upset loss to Syracuse, the Cavaliers can prove their dominance on a national level with a win in Durham on Saturday.
TV and Live Stream info
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019
Start Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Durham, NC
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
This game still hasn’t lost luster with Duke coming off of an upset loss. Even so, this Virginia team has yet to be knocked off and, quite frankly, has been every bit as dominant as the Blue Devils when they’ve been on. As such, we’ll see if Zion and Coach K’s team is able to take down a seemingly sleeping giant.