It's only happened three times to this point but it's going to happen again on Saturday night when Duke, ranked first atop the Associated Press Top 25, and UVa, ranked first atop the USA Today Coaches Poll, meet in Durham (6 p.m., ESPN). But any way you slice it, this matchup has all the makings of a classic and is one of the most highly-anticipated showdowns not only in the ACC this year but in all of college season.
UVa (16-0, 4-0 ACC) remains one of two teams nationally without a loss and is coming off another Top-10 victory after blowing out Virginia Tech on Tuesday night. According to KenPom, the Wahoos rank among the nation's best in both adjusted offensive efficiency (fourth) and adjusted defensive efficiency (second).
Duke, meanwhile, is coming into this weekend's showdown following a tough overtime loss to Syracuse which also happened in Cameron Indoor. The Blue Devils, who may or may not be without PG Tre Jones due to a shoulder injury (more on that in a bit), are the only team to rank in the top five of those aforementioned categories: fifth and fourth, respectively. Monday night, they had to go without Jones for most of the game and without Cam Reddish the whole way due to an illness.
All told, though, this will be a much more balanced Duke team than the one the Hoos beat a year ago in Durham though the injury to Jones could change some of the calculus a bit especially on the defensive end of the floor.
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (14-2, 3-1 ACC)
Head coach: Mike Krzyzewski, 44th year (1114-340, 1041-281 in 39 years at Duke)
Series: Duke leads the all-time series 119-51.
Last Meeting: The Cavaliers beat the Blue Devils 65-63 in Durham last year.
Three Things We Know
1. The Blue Devils won't be at full strength.
With Reddish back in action, things won't be nearly as bleak as they were for the Blue Devils against Syracuse. But even then, they could rely on Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, the consensus first and second picks in the next NBA Draft. But without Jones' pressure on the ball, Duke's defense would be in trouble. After all, this is a Virginia team that not only defends well but scores, too. If Jones can't go—Krzyzewski told The Athletic on Thursday that he's not sure if Jones will be out or not, though it's unlikely he'll play—then the real pressure will be on the other freshmen to step things up. And even if Jones plays, he won't be near 100 percent and he'll be facing arguably the best offense he's seen in college.
2. And yet, they are still really dang good.
Even without Jones, Duke still has an absurd amount of talent. While the media hype around Williamson makes you want to roll our eyes into oblivion, that's not the kid's fault. And the kid can ball. At 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds, he's arguably one of the most unique college players in recent memory. A bouncy forward with guard-like skills, he's agile and he's multifaceted which is a lethal combination in such a physical player. Paired with Barrett, who will likely assume PG duties if Jones can't play, Williamson is made all the more difficult to guard. As a team, the Blue Devils are great on the offensive glass and while not being nearly as good from beyond the arc as past years they're that much better inside it. The biggest difference this year has been the defense: Duke ranks not only in the top five nationally in adjusted efficiency but also in block percentage and steal percentage. Above all, the talent Krzyzewski has even without Jones on the floor is by far the best the Wahoos will have faced.
3. UVa will come in with plenty of confidence.
So much has already been made of Duke and its future pros and rightfully so. It truly is worthy of such attention. But this is a Virginia team that, regardless of the chants coming from the student section, is unlikely to be shaken by the mythos of the venue. The Wahoos are doing what every fan hoped they would in that they've paired great defense with great offense. The tempo might be slower and the possessions fewer but the ability and efficiency are there. How the Cavaliers match up with Barrett, Williamson, and Reddish (who is an incredibly skilled wing with a 7-foot-plus wingspan) will obviously define this game but they'll also have to defend a trio of Virginia scorers in Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De'Andre Hunter that will run action they're not used to seeing.
