For the first time in eight years, the Duke Blue Devils are not ranked in the Top 25. However, that might not last for long. After losing to Miami, the team beat Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Louisville. That could be enough to get them back into the rankings, but beating Virginia would really be what the team needs before going to face North Carolina later in the week. Meanwhile the Cavaliers are holding on to their No.7 ranking and not letting go.
Virginia has not won in Cameron Indoor Stadium in over 20 years. Despite the hiring ranking, they enter this matchup as underdogs looking to prove they are not a joke in ACC play. Their last win against Duke on the road came in 1995 in a double-overtime game. They have lost 16 matches since and hope to not make it 17. Virginia might be ranked higher, but they are capable of losing. In January they dropped three of four games before getting seven straight victories. They have held their last four opponents to an average of 48.3 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field. They have one of the best defenses in the nation, ranked third, which could be the x-factor in this game.
"Like I say after every game, the only way we're going to win games here at UVA is by the defense," Anthony Gill said. "We understand that as a team. We strive to be the best defensive team that we can be, so we go out there every night and try to prove it."
The Blue Devils are not short on confidence despite falling out of the Top 25. The team is coming off a convincing win over 13th-ranked Louisville where Grayson Allen had a game-high 19 points while Brandon Ingram added 18 points and 10 rebounds. That should get them back in the polls, but a win over the Cavaliers would secure it. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski told the media that his team is figuring things out, but he hopes they can peak at the right time.
"A couple of weeks ago, there is no way (we beat Louisville)," Krzyzewski said, via ESPN.com. "I think we lose that game by 15 points because we wouldn't be able to get there."
Duke has dominated at home and they plan to keep that trend going. If Virginia wants to defend their ranking they must go into the hostile environment and get a win.
