Gameday Preview: #3 Duke vs Virginia – Mon Feb 17th 2025

The Duke Blue Devils (22-3, 14-1 ACC) travel to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (13-12, 6-8 ACC) Monday evening.  The Blue Devils are coming off a sweep of the ACC’s California squads and have won two in a row after falling to Clemson, snapping their 16 game winning streak. The Cavs are coming into the game on a 3 game win streak.

The Blue Devils are coming off an impressive 106-70 victory against the Stanford Cardinal (16-10, 8-7) Saturday afternoon. The lone bright spot for the Cardinal was ACC leading scorer Maime Raynaud’s 18 point first half points. Duke transfer Jalyen Blakes was only able to make one basket and went 1-10 from the floor. The Blue Devils were able to control the game from wire to wire behind Tyrese Proctor’s 23 points going 5-8 from 3. Cooper Flagg was able to add 19 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Most encouraging for the Blue Devils was the re-emergence from once starter Caleb Foster. Foster only played 6 minutes but was able to score 10 points, pulled in 3 boards and had one steal. The emergence of Foster as a reliable option makes the Blue Devils the most formidable team in the nation.

The Cavaliers won the battle of the Commonwealth Cup with a 73-70 win against rival Virginia Tech. This was UVA’s first win in Blacksburg since 2020. The Wahoos used a 22-9 spurt that gave them their largest lead of the game at 32-17 lead in the first half. The Cavs were able to hold off the Hokies in the second half behind Issac McKneely’s 22 point effort and 6th man Anthony Robinson’s 15.

Key Points:

UVA

• This is every team’s Super Bowl and UVA needs to play like it. John Paul Jones Arena will be packed and looking for an excuse to get rowdy. The Wahoos need to play beyond their record and get the crowd involved to try to rattle to Blue Devils
• Focus on Flagg- It seems like an understatement that the front runner for National Player of the Year needs to be the focus of the game. Flagg is able to affect the game beyond his ability to score. He is a great passer and has held his own on the defensive end. The Hoo’s need to limit Flagg’s excellence to one aspect to have a chance at the upset.
• Make the 3 point shot. The Cavaliers made 11 three pointers against the Hokies to squeak out the victory. Issac McKeenly made 6 by himself. A similar performance is needed against a higher quality opponent.

Duke

• Continue to build confidence in the role players. Khaman Maluach and Caleb Foster found somewhat of an offensive footing against Stanford. The test is in continuing the scoring momentum in consecutive games and on the road. 
• Treat tonight like a tournament game. The Devils played Saturday afternoon and had the quick turnaround to play 48 hours later. This is the norm in the first 4 rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Use these games to get familiar with the tournament process. 
• Get out to another fast start and cruise to victory. The quicker Duke kills UVA’s will the better.