ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Duke Blue Devils gelling at the right time

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 10: Teammates Jordan Goldwire #14, Wendell Moore Jr. #0 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 28: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the the Virginia Cavaliers (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

4. Virginia Cavaliers 17-7 (9-5)

Virginia sits at fourth place in the ACC with a good shot to move into prime position as the ACC regular-season nears its end. The Cavaliers play Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech over their next three games and their defense gives them a good chance to string together three straight wins.

The Cavaliers started off last week with a too-close-for-comfort win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That game went to overtime and was sealed by Mamadi Diakite, who scored 20 points, including 2 free throw makes that were 2 of Virginia’s 3 points in the OT win.

Virginia got some big-time scoring from an unlikely source when junior guard Tomas Woldetensae scored 27 points as the Cavs came up short against Louisville in a 7-point loss. The Cavaliers will need more from Diakite and fellow senior Braxton Key against elite competition. Key is averaging 9.7 points per game but is putting up a mere 4.0 points over his last three games.

Virginia needs a big night from Key seeing as the Cardinals were holding Diakite (3-for-11) in check. Head coach Tony Bennett doesn’t have a reliable scoring option when Diakite doesn’t have his “A-game” and that will be the main hurdle for the Cavaliers to navigate as they gear up for their toughest stretch of the season. Look for sophomore guard Kihei Clark, who is averaging 6.6 assists over his last five games, to negate Virginia’s need for a go-to scorer.