Read more for our full Virginia vs Duke prediction and preview.
Virginia basketball looks for their longest winning streak of the season as it welcomes No. 3 Duke to John Paul Jones Arena on Monday night. Both teams are coming off victories Saturday — the Cavaliers held off Virginia Tech, while the Blue Devils blew out Stanford.
General Information:
Teams: Virginia (13-12, 6-8) and No. 3 Duke (22-3, 14-1)
Tip time: 8 p.m. EST
Watch: ESPN
Listen: Virginia Sports Radio Network and SiriusXM 138
Latest on Duke basketball:
Duke dominated Stanford 106-70 on Saturday. It was tied at 13 five minutes into the game, but the Blue Devils blew it open and never looked back, scoring their most points of the season. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor led all scorers with 23 points.
For Duke, it starts and ends with freshman guard/forward Cooper Flagg. The 6’9″ star from Newport, Maine leads Duke in points (19.8), rebounds (7.5), assists (4), steals (1.6) and blocks (1.2). He’s the frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year and a popular choice for the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Virginia will have its hands full trying to at least contain Flagg.
But it’s not just Flagg. Duke has six players averaging at least six points a game. If teams try to overload on Flagg, he’s great at finding open teammates such as Proctor or freshman guard Kon Knueppel for open shots. The Blue Devils are shooting almost 38% from behind the 3-point line this season. So, while the bulk of the Cavaliers’ attention will be on Flagg, they can’t also forget about the others.
It’s easy to see why Duke is projected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament next month. They are elite on both ends of the court, ranking in the top five of adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency per KenPom. They’re super tall and rebound one-third of their missed shots and over three-fourths of their opponent’s misses. For a Cavalier team that has struggled on the glass at times this year, Virginia will need all five guys boxing out on every shot for any chance to keep it close.
Latest on Virginia basketball:
The Cavaliers are coming off a 73-70 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday in Blacksburg, their first win in Cassell Coliseum in nearly five years. Junior guard Isaac McKneely led the Cavs with 22 points and redshirt freshman forward Anthony Robinson came off the bench to contribute 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Cavaliers have won four of their last five games and now sit in a four-way tie for ninth — alongside Virginia Tech, Pitt and Florida State — in the ACC standings. If Virginia can get that nine seed, the Cavs will get a crucial bye to the second round of the ACC Tournament in March.
It’s a concept that would’ve seemed foreign three weeks ago. After they lost to Notre Dame on Jan. 25, the Cavs fell to 9-11 overall, 2-7 in conference play and 16th in the ACC standings; had the season ended that day, Virginia would’ve been on the outside looking in at the ACC Tournament.
This steadying of the ship has been in large part due to Virginia’s offense becoming efficient. The Cavaliers have scored at least 73 points in five straight games. The last time that happened was in March 2019; that was a good season in Charlottesville. While these Cavs are nowhere near a national title contender or a top-tier ACC team like in 2019, it’s been fun to see them continue to fight.
Let’s call a spade a spade. Duke is a lot better than Virginia. The Cavaliers have shown a lot of resilience lately, but expect the Blue Devils to take over and leave Virginia in the dust.