An emotional letdown for the Duke Blue Devils cost the 7th ranked team in the country a home loss to a defensive-minded Virginia, 69-68 inside Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night.
All it took was two three pointers the entire game, with the second being the game-winner, to catapult the Cavaliers over the Blue Devils and guaranteeing at least a split of a regular season series with Duke heading to UVA in several weeks for the rematch. Prior to the game winning three, UVA was 1 for 11 on the night from deep.
The Difference
Virginia completely took All-American Paolo Banchero out of the ball game. Banchero only got one attempt in the second half, which came with 1.1 seconds left in the ball game. Every time Paolo touched the ball a double team came his way – forcing him to distribute the rock.
Freshman sensation A.J. Griffin, who dropped a career high 27 points against UNC, was also a no-show tonight, scoring only two points. Mark Williams, who played in foul trouble the majority of the game, was utilized on the interior with UVA scoring over 40 points in the paint against Duke; the most from a team in the ACC this season against Duke.
Notable Stat
Duke’s 15 turnovers led to 20 UVA points. On the flip side, UVA only turned the ball over five times leading to two Duke points partly due to UVA’s transition defense.
Coach K alluded to this game being possibly being an emotional one, and it was for the Blue Devils. Virginia dictated the tempo all night, not allowing Duke to get into transition consistently and slowing the pace down – which is what the Cavaliers are infamous for.
Once again, it’s quick turnaround for the Blue Devils as they face Clemson Thursday night inside Little-John Arena in South Carolina. The game is a makeup from Covid-19 postponing the original matchup.
