Duke vs. Virginia: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

After a 1-2 start in ACC play, Duke has gotten it’s act together. A win over Virginia would once again put the Blue Devils as the conference’s best team.

TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 27, 2:00 p.m. ET. CBS

Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina

While it’s true that the 10 game slate in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge will take up most of the attention, the game of the week will come from the ACC. It’s a battle of top five teams in No. 2 Virginia 19-1 (8-0) and No. 4 Duke 18-2 (6-2).

Both teams have been on a roll as of late, with the Blue Devils, in particular, playing much better on the defensive end. In the first three conference games, they allowed a whopping 92.4 ppg, going 1-2. In the last five games, that average has dropped all the way to 64.4 ppg, although it’s important to note that two of those wins did come against the winless Pittsburgh Panthers.

But as impressive as that seems, it’s nothing compared to what Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers have done all season. They’re easily No. 1 in defensive scoring at 51.6 ppg, including holding 10 opponents to under 50 points in a game. In just their last game this week, Virginia held a good Clemson team to just 36 points in a 40-minute battle. These defensive numbers will surely be tested against the No. 1 scoring offense in Duke, who average 91.2 ppg.

There are plenty of individual battles in this game to look at, but the one that might be the most consequential is on the wings between Devon Hall of Virginia and Gary Trent Jr. of Duke. The reason I choose these players is the consistent, yet under the radar impact these two have in wins and losses.

Hall is not only the best defender on the team (even though all of them are great) but is a lethal three-pointer shooting threat (47%), coming off a career-high 25 points over NC State a couple of weeks ago. But he’ll have to defend one of the hottest shooters in the country in Trent, who rose to third on the team in scoring while shooting 61% from deep in his past four games.

Another fun match-up to watch down low will be between Marvin Bagley of Duke and Jack Salt of Virginia. The likely All-American for the Blue Devils is averaging over 22 ppg and 11 ppg and has yet to be continued by any opposing big in the country.

The New Zealand center will be his biggest challenge by far, ranked No. 6 in the conference in both defensive rating, as well as defensive +/-. Many notable frontcourt players like Ben Lammers of Virginia Tech and Elijah Thomas of Clemson couldn’t do anything against him, and the hope for Cavalier fans is that the same happens to Bagley.

What happens on the perimeter will be important too, as both Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome will have to outscore Duke’s Grayson Allen and Trevon Duval, who’ve been struggling with consistency as of late.

Next: What will Duke look like in 2018-19?

There will not be another game like this, between literally the best offense versus the best defense, as this is the only game these two will play against one another, barring a tournament battle. What this game truly comes down to which is better – Virginia’s offense or Duke’s defense? Both have improved, but I like the Blue Devils to take this one in another competitive game between these heavyweights.

Prediction: Duke 76 – Virginia 70

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