Duke Will Dunk On Virginia Tonight

Duke vs. Virginia, 8:00 ET

Last week was pretty average for me overall, and it ended with an average weekend as I got just one win and one loss in the Saturday plays. The games are growing ever closer to the end of the season and we are inching closer to the conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament. With that in mind, let's put a play on one of the best teams in the country tonight as Duke travels to Virginia to take on the Cavaliers. 

Duke is having a heck of a year already. Look, I get the hatred from the majority of people. It is the same reason people don't like the Yankees, Patriots, or now the Chiefs. They are a team that has had a lot of success. Sure, they've also had a bunch of obnoxious white kids that have dominated the court that contribute to the hatred as well. But, virtually every year they have one of the top recruiting classes and this year is one where it has certainly worked out. The freshman class has been dominant for them this season, led by superstar Cooper Flagg who leads the team in all five categories - points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. It hasn't been done before so we should certainly appreciate the performance this kid is putting on the game. Duke is 22-3 for the season with two of their losses coming early in the season as the team was figuring things out. Their only other loss was on the road at Clemson. It looked really similar to the early season losses with a lot of stumbling and poor execution down the stretch. Since then they've beaten Cal and Stanford at home by a combined 57 points. 

Feb 15, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ron Sanchez talks to Virginia Cavaliers guard Andrew Rohde (4) as he comes off the court during the second half against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia is not having that same level of success that Duke is experiencing. Obviously, without having the recruiting class, they tend to rely on teams that are constructed over time. You can't really dismiss the Cavaliers though as this has been a really good program. For the season, Virginia is 13-12. They have not have a true extended winning streak, but they have had a couple of three-game winning streaks. The ACC has been tough on them this year, but they've been bad in more games than just that. They lost to Tennessee and St. John's early in the season on a neutral court. Then they lost to Florida and SMU on the road. SMU is the only mediocre team in that list. The other losses came against Memphis - one of the better teams in the country, and then five straight losses to Louisville, Cal, Stanford, SMU again, and Louisville. Add in losses to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech and you have the complete 12 losses. The Cavaliers defense has been better lately, but I'm not sure they have the offensive firepower to keep up with Duke. 

The best case scenario for this game is Virginia controls the pace and keeps the game close. If this is an offensive battle, Duke is going to win by 20. Duke is likely a better defensive team as well. I like that they can, and do, switch on everything. Each player is comfortable guarding virtually everyone so there aren't a ton of great mismatches you can find as an opposing roster. They've played better lately, but I have to take Duke to cover the -13.5 here, even on the road.

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