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No. 7 Virginia vs Duke: 5 key storylines for 2020-21 ACC Basketball matchup

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Duke Blue Devils celebrate in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Duke Blue Devils celebrate in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Virginia Cavaliers Tony Bennett Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Cavaliers Tony Bennett Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Virginia still looking to erase the doubters

Considering how disastrous this season has been for heavyweights such as Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan State, it’s hard to see any Virginia Basketball fan not being happy with their team’s current standing. They’re 15-4 overall and can win yet another ACC regular-season title. And along with Gonzaga and Baylor, has played up to its preseason expectations.

Virginia got some good news last Saturday when the Selection Committee revealed its early top 16 seed lines. The Cavaliers were given a 3 seed and barring any bad losses will likely stay that way or at worst, a 4 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Is UVA's defense still elite?. light. Related Story

Still, there are lots of questions as to how good this team actually is. On paper, Virginia’s best win was against Clemson, a solid but far from a juggernaut. The problem is that also on paper, they’re 0-3 against the top three teams they’ve played (Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, and Florida State, all by a combined 58 points.

The defeat to No. 1 Gonzaga, where the Cavaliers gave up a season-high 98 points, still leaves a sour taste in some observers’ eyes. But I would argue that the real problem for UVA is the lack of great teams in the ACC, thanks to both Duke and North Carolina being “down” this year. The already unbalance schedule got even more unfair due to covid-related rescheduling, with the Cavaliers playing all of their top league games on the road this season.

And you can add this game against the Blue Devils to the road as well. A win over Duke on primetime probably won’t change many minds and unless they see Florida State in the ACC Tournament, likely won’t have another major opportunity to get a marquee victory. But as long they beat who they’re supposed to (including Duke on Saturday), the Cavaliers will get another high seed and a great chance to go far in the Big Dance.