College Basketball
- Matchup: #1 Duke Blue Devils (14-2, 3-1) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (16-0, 4-0)
- Date: Jan. 19th, 2019
- Time: 6:00 pm
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium
- Seating Capacity: 9,314
ACC Championship Preview?
Duke meets Virginia on Saturday evening in a top 5 matchup. The Hoos come rolling into Cameron Indoor Stadium at a perfect 16-0. On Tuesday, they beat #9 Virginia Tech 81-59, proving further that the Cavaliers are a championship contender in both the ACC and the country. Duke comes into the matchup coming off of a heartbreaker in OT, losing to Syracuse 95-91.
Tre Jones Injury Update
Duke freshman and star point guard Tre Jones was hurt early in the first half against Syracuse, but there are reasons to be optimistic. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski told the Athletic, “I don’t know if it’s for this game or the next game, but it’s not going to be long term, where it’s a month or something,”. Tre Jones has yet to be ruled out of Duke’s game against Virginia and is considered day-to-day at this time. Considering it was a real possibility Jones could’ve missed the rest of the season, this is extremely good news.
The Starters
Virginia
Guard – #11 Ty Jerome
Guard – #5 Kyle Guy
Forward – #12 De’Andre Hunter
Forward – #25 Mamadi Diakite
Center – #33 Jack Salt
The Cavaliers are led by the trio of Kyle Guy (15.3 PPG), De’Andre Hunter (14.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG), and Ty Jerome (13.2 PPG, 4.9 APG). The Cavs heavily rely on their veteran backcourt of Guy and Jerome, who have a history of beating Duke in Cameron. A year ago, Kyle Guy scored 17 points and his backcourt partner Ty Jerome scored 13 and dished out 7 assists. He also nailed the dagger three-ball with just 37.6 seconds to play. De’Andre Hunter also scored in double figures off the bench with 12. This trio has Cameron Indoor winning experience, so don’t expect them to hesitate in the opening minutes of this year’s game. As a team offense, the Hoos have scored 74.2 points per game with an offensive rating of 119.5. While the Cavs have the ability to score, that is not how they win their games.
Every college basketball fan knows that UVA is all about defense. They win their games by suffocating opponents on defense. This year, they have allowed opponents to score just 51.7 points per game, best in the country. All five players on the court for UVA at any given time are committed to Tony Bennett’s defense-first mindset.
Duke
With Tre Jones likely out, here is the projected Blue Devil Lineup:
Guard – #14 Jordan Goldwire
Forward – #2 Cam Reddish
Small Forward – #5 RJ Barrett
Power Forward – #1 Zion Williamson
Center – #12 Javin DeLaurier
It is possible that Bolden starts over DeLaurier, which I believe would be the right call, but Bolden has been extremely good off the bench. Why mess with that?
Duke’s Key
For Duke to pull this win off without Tre Jones, they have to speed the game up. Virginia plays at a very slow pace, averaging just around 60 possessions per game. Duke plays at a much higher tempo and averages 75.6 possessions per game. If Duke can force UVA to play faster, they’ll be in a good spot for a win.
Virginia’s Key
For Virginia to win again in Cameron, they need to control the three-point line. Against Syracuse, Duke went 9-for-43 from beyond the arc. Yikes. If they can outshoot Duke from three, the Hoos will roll.
Prediction
9-for-43 from 3-point range against Syracuse? Not against the Cavs, I expect Jack White to break his slump (0-for-10 against Syracuse) from beyond the three-point line. I also expect another big game from Alex O’Connell from beyond the arc (4-for-8). Cam Reddish is expected to be 100% and will play after missing the game against the Orange and he will pour in 4+ threes. Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett will go for 50 combined points and Marques Bolden will have another good game. On the flip side, I have a feeling UVA, who relies heavily on three-point shooting, will go cold in Cameron Indoor.
Despite Duke likely being without Tre Jones…
Duke: 77
Virginia: 68
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