No. 4 seed Duke (25-8, 16-6 ACC) vs No. 2 see Virginia (25-6, 17-5)

8:30 p.m., ESPN

For the fourth time in nine years, UVa will play for an ACC Tournament title tonight in Greensboro. The Hoos, who won it in both 2014 and 2018 and lost in the 2016 final, will be looking to be the only ACC program with three titles over the last decade.

In their way is a Duke team that’s peaking at the right time. While UVa blew past Clemson in Friday’s semifinals, the Blue Devils had to outlast a quality Miami team, winning 85-78. The Blue Devils have now won their last eight games, dating back to their overtime loss in Charlottesville.

Obviously, much will be made of the controversial end to that game and how the Blue Devil faithful feel that they should have won the game in regulation. But now, the Cavaliers and Devils can sort out any unfinished business on the court in Greensboro Coliseum.

Duke enters the final ranked No. 24 in KenPom, best among ACC schools. The Blue Devils are solid on both ends of the floor, ranking 41st nationally in offensive efficiency and 31st on the defensive end.

On offense, Duke has shot the ball decently well but not at an elite level, both from two and from three. The Blue Devils have been excellent at the free-throw line, shooting 77 percent, which is relevant in a game like this one. Duke also does a great job on the offensive glass, ranking sixth nationally in offensive rebound rate.

Meanwhile, on defense, they have held opponents to low shooting marks, allowing just 46.9 percent shooting on twos and 30.6 percent on 3s. Duke is also 39th nationally in block rate, and doesn’t allow opponents to get to the line much, ranking 15th nationally in free throws allowed per field-goal attempt.

The first meeting between the two programs was a slugfest that was 58-58 at the end of regulation. Virginia struggled to shoot the ball, making 4-of-14 from deep along with a woeful performance at the line, making just nine of 22 free throws. UVa did damage around the rim, though, shooting 60 percent on two-pointers. Duke made nine 3s and did a good job at the free-throw line, but really struggled to take care of the basketball, turning it over a whopping 22 times in the overtime loss. The Blue Devils did have a big advantage on the glass though, outrebounding the Hoos 39-24.

Kyle Filipowski, Forward: After going scoreless in Charlottesville last month, and how that game ended, Filipowski will certainly have a lot to prove in Saturday’s final. The ACC Rookie of the Year is coming off of a big performance in the Semis against Miami, scoring 17 points on 8-for-9 from the field.

Jeremy Roach, Guard: Duke’s floor general is the team’s veteran leader this season, and has been a problem for opponents all year. The Leesburg native is averaging 13 points per game for the season and scored that many in the win over Miami. In the first meeting with UVa, Roach was hot early and scored a team-high 16.

Tyrese Proctor, Guard: Next to Roach’s experience in the backcourt, Duke has young talent in Proctor. Third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game, he is a long guard at 6-foot-5 and can be a matchup problem for smaller backcourts. Proctor scored 14 at JPJ last month.

Mark Mitchell, Forward: The freshman wing is another starter who is capable of a big scoring performance on any night. Mitchell has scored in double figures in each of his last six games, but scored just three points in the first game against Virginia.

Dariq Whitehead, Guard: After missing eight games in the middle of the season, Whitehead returned to the lineup when they played UVa in February, and has helped the Blue Devils finish the season strong. Against Miami, Whitehead dropped 16 points including a pair of made threes in the win.

Derek Lively, Center: Duke’s rim protector is one of the biggest players in the conference, who has a knack for creating big blocks. Lively is averaging 5.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and is recording 2.3 blocks per contest, helping the Blue Devils improve their interior defense.

Both of these teams are playing good basketball right now and it’s a bit difficult to pick against either of them given how they’ve looked over the previous two games.

Duke has been on a mission since the loss in Charlottesville, and it’s quite possible that the Blue Devils have turned a corner and are becoming much more of a March contender than they looked a month ago or so. UVa, meanwhile, shook off some rough play in February and has now won four in a row, including last night’s drubbing of Clemson.

Duke will certainty be very motivated to win this one, given how the first game ended. And there is certainly potential for the Cavaliers to be walking into a buzzsaw of sorts against a Blue Devils’ group that is playing like the best team in the conference now.

Virginia will likely have to win an emotional, hard-fought game if the Hoos are able to get it done. And we think that’s what they’ll do, though our confidence in the pick is low given how good Duke has been lately. UVa has a veteran team that is comfortable in close games and has played efficient basketball over their last couple contests.

The Blue Devils might have more upside, but we’re taking the Wahoos to win another game that could come down to the final few possessions.