Duke @ Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Virginia 70, Duke 72

Virginia looks for a little revenge Saturday as it hosts Duke in another key ACC regular-season battle. The third-ranked Cavaliers have just one loss on the season and it came at the hands of the second-ranked Blue Devils back on Jan. 19.

The first meeting between the two conference powers lived up to its hype in every way but, in the end, the freshman combination of RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson proved to be too much for Virginia to overcome. Barrett scored 30 points and Williamson added 27 in the 72-70 win three weeks ago as Duke prevailed despite the absence of its best defender, Tre Jones, who has since returned to the court. That win ignited a six-game winning streak for the Blue Devils, with their most recent win coming in an 80-55 blowout of Boston College on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have returned to their winning ways since the loss at Duke, picking up a fourth straight victory following their 56-46 home triumph over Miami last Saturday.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT DUKE (20-2, 8-1 ACC): Freshman Cam Reddish scored 24 points, his most since the second game of the season, on 8-of-16 shooting to lead the Blue Devils over BC. Barrett added 19 on 5-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, while Williamson scored 16 and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds. Duke went 1-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half and trailed 30-28 at the break but hit four of its first six after the break while outscoring the Eagles 52-25 in the second frame.

ABOUT VIRGINIA (20-1, 8-1): The Cavaliers looked a little off playing without third-leading scorer Ty Jerome against the Hurricanes, turning the ball over 14 times and shooting just 42.3 percent from the floor. Leading scorer De’Andre Hunter (14.7 points) led the way offensively against Miami with 14 on 6-of-13 shooting, while Mamadi Diakite added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks. As usual, Virginia’s defense made up for its offensive miscues as the Cavaliers held the Hurricanes to 34 percent from the field; Virginia opponents are shooting only 37 percent from the floor on the season, the third-best mark in the nation.

TIP-INS

1. Duke leads the all-time series 120-51, winning four of the last five.

2. Barrett (23 points per game) and Williamson (22) are the top two scorers in the ACC as well as the highest scoring teammates in the nation.

3. Virginia coach Tony Bennett said earlier in the week that Jerome (back) is improving but his status against Duke is unknown.

PREDICTION: Virginia 68, Duke 65