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Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Cavaliers: A Must-Win Game

By Jacob Rude

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In Saturday night’s primetime, College Gameday match-up, the Duke Blue Devils and Virginia Cavaliers are trending separate ways, but both should consider this contest a must-win contest.

Entering January, the ACC’s cream of the crop was the Duke Blue Devils, who were undefeated after being tested in non-conference play. Even after the first two games, Coach K’s squad was undefeated with wins over Boston College and at Wake Forest.

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Two and a half weeks later, Duke has lost 3 of their last six games including embarrassing blow-outs to NC State and Miami. Coming off a loss on Wednesday to Notre Dame thanks to a second-half collapse by Duke, the Blue Devils sit just sixth in the conference at 4-3. They followed up their loss Wednesday by dismissing junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon, a vital blow to their team, leaving them with eight scholarship players left on the roster.

On the other side tonight, you have the Virginia Cavaliers. More specifically, the UNDEFEATED Virginia Cavaliers. The top defense in the conference and one of the top in the country has feasted on teams this year, including an impressive display against Georgia Tech where they held the Yellow Jackets to 28 points through the entire 40 minutes. As it stands, Tony Bennett‘s squad is top of the conference.

Which brings us to Saturday night’s contest. The Blue Devils are reeling of sorts, having lost their superiority status from earlier in the season while also losing members of their rotation. Their prize? A match-up against the Cavaliers on the road. For the Blue Devils, in order to move back atop the ACC and move up the rankings once again, Saturday night’s game is a must-win. After this contest, the Blue Devils ease into a more generous part of their schedule (relatively speaking, considering how great the ACC is).

Virginia, on the other hand, is entering it’s toughest stretch of games to-date. After the contest against Duke, they travel to North Carolina, then host the Louisville Cardinals all in a weeks time. It’ll likely be their hardest stretch this season, and starting it off with a win would be vital.

More importantly, this is the Cavaliers’ chance to stamp their name as contenders this year. This will be the biggest stage that the Cavaliers will play on this season and the national spotlight will never be brighter. A decisive victory here makes them impossible to ignore any longer. This certainly isn’t to say that the Cavaliers aren’t a contender already, but getting national recognition isn’t a bad thing.

We know the Blue Devils can get up for big moments. In their previous showcase Saturday match-up, they embarrassed the Louisville Cardinals on their home court. Tonight, the task will be even tougher for the myriad of reasons listed above. Can they replicate their performance?

In the end, I suspect a tight-knit match-up, and while Coach K may be one of the best in the nation, I’d be surprised if even he could overcome the numerous hurdles for Duke tonight. It’ll be a close one, but Virginia pulls this one out 55-53.

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