Duke vs Virginia: 2022-23 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Another high-impact ACC matchup pits Duke against Virginia; can the Blue Devils make headway on the road or do the Cavaliers get a prime victory?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 11, 4:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia
Duke (17-7) hasn’t exactly seen their season go as planned. A preseason pick to be among the top teams in the nation, a roster filled with young talent has underachieved at times. The Blue Devils sit just 8-5 in ACC play and have already dropped five of seven road games in conference play. Can they finally get that breakthrough win away from Cameron Indoor?
The play of freshman center Kyle Filipowski (15.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg) has been the highlight of the new recruiting class, while junior guard Jeremy Roach (12.5 ppg, 3.0 apg) has been just as important in running the Blue Devils’ offense. This Duke rotation is full of talent; it’s just a matter of who will step up in the weeks to come. Senior guard Ryan Young (8.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg) has looked great at times while freshmen big men like Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively II have looked the part of elite prospects infrequently.
Unranked for some time now, the Blue Devils sit 35th in KenPom and 29th in the NET rankings. Duke’s offense has struggled at times compared to past years, including scoring just 59 points in Monday’s loss at Miami. Still, they have an impact and sizable lineup and have done great work at rebounding, but they need to figure out these issues on offense.
On the other side of the court, Virginia (18-4) is licking its chops for a Duke team that doesn’t look as dominant as usual. The Cavaliers sit tied atop the conference standings and have largely played well in ACC play. Tony Bennett’s squad is still known for their suffocating defense, giving up just 50 points in a win over NC State earlier this week.
There’s a fair bit of talent in Virginia and it all starts with senior point guard Kihei Clark (11.4 ppg, 6.0 apg), the national champion who continues to facilitate both sides of the ball for the Cavaliers. Former Indiana guard Armaan Franklin (12.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is having his best offensive season, while senior forward Jayden Gardner (11.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg) just led the team with 18 points in that win over the Wolfpack.
Virginia enters play sitting at #8 in the AP Top 25 and are ranked 14th by both KenPom and the NET. They’re the top-rated team in the ACC according to all of the metrics, even with their defense not as highly rated as it has been in recent years. Still, this Virginia squad brought a lot of talent back after a disappointing season last year and has put everything together.
First and foremost, Duke cannot play like they did against Miami and expect to make any headway. The Blue Devils committed 21 turnovers and fell out of that game early on the road. They’ll need a much better start in Charlottesville, especially against a defense that’s even better than the Hurricanes. The positive is that Virginia doesn’t have an interior piece like Norchad Omier, though that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for the Blue Devils.
dark. Next. Latest ACC power rankings
Expect Virginia to continue their hot run this season. We’ve yet to see the Blue Devils beat a decent team on the road, and some of these performances have left a lot to be desired. Expect a close game; it’s always a battle between these two successful programs. However, the Cavaliers are just playing better basketball right now and you can bet that Bennett will have answers for Filipowski on defense.