Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Cavaliers: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA, USA

When: Saturday, February 9 at 6pm EST

How (TV/Radio): ESPN, TSN2 |

Duke Blue Devils (Away)

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski {Overall: 20-2, .909 W-L% | Conference: 8-1. T-1st in ACC}

The Duke Blue Devils look to sweep their ACC counterparts for the first time since the 2011 season after winning the first leg 72-70 back on January 19th . Star freshmen RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson combined for 57 in a game where they managed to prevail despite shooting 2-14 from three.

Coach K’s squad is coming off a win this past Tuesday against Boston College at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where they hammered the Eagles 80-55. The Blue Devils were led by Cam Reddish who poured in 24 points while Williamson contributed 16 points along with 17 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

Virginia Cavaliers (Home)

Head Coach: Tony Bennett {Overall: 20-1, .952 W-L% | Conference: 8-1, T-1st in ACC}

After a week of rest, UVA is presented with the challenge of defending their home court against a powerful Duke team that handed them their lone loss of the season.

Virginia is coming off of a sluggish 56-46 win on February 2nd against a Miami Hurricanes team that is dwelling in the ACC cellar. To be fair, the Cavaliers were without their junior floor general, Ty Jerome, who was nursing a sore back. His team will need his floor presence in order to fire on all cylinders to even the season series.

Duke Roster Notes

No injuries for Duke to report.

Virginia Roster Notes

Point guard Ty Jerome is currently questionable for the game with a sore back.

Head-to-Head: Cam Reddish vs De’Andre Hunter

Cam Reddish

Small Forward | 6-8 218lb (203cm, 98kg) | Westtown HS | Norristown, PA | Freshman

13.0 PPG | 2.1 APG | 3.4 RPG | 2.1 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 2.9 TOV | .349 FG% | .338 3P%

De’Andre Hunter

Small Forward | 6-7 225lb (201cm, 102kg) | Friends Central School| Philadelphia, PA | Sophomore

14.7 PPG | 2.2 APG | 5.4 RPG | 0.6 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 1.1 TOV | .529 FG% | .432 3P%

This matchup features two underclassmen who are capable of scoring in bunches and have very similar frames. Their roles and playing styles, however, differ greatly, but nonetheless are critical to their team’s success.

Much of the fanfare around Duke’s roster has revolved around Williamson and Barrett, whom are considered the favourites to be the top two picks in the upcoming NBA draft. Somewhat lost in the shuffle has been Cam Reddish, the third ranked recruit in the 2018 class, who could probably put up the same scoring averages as his star teammates elsewhere. The 3-point reliant Reddish has embraced his role as the third scoring option, and will need to put up a better showing than the 9 point effort in the first game against Virginia, as it is unlikely Barrett and Williamson will go off for 57 together. His performance against Boston College could be a spark plug for him heading into this matchup.

Much like Reddish, De’Andre Hunter is an athletic wing who can take on a scoring load when needed. Hunter’s role however is much different, as he is Virginia’s leading scorer and a key cog on defense. His quickness and strength will allow him to matchup on any of the four star freshmen. Additionally, while he can hit the three on occasion, he does not live behind the arc like Reddish, and will drive at will to produce higher percentage shots and look to get whomever is guarding him in foul trouble.

Duke at Virginia Predictions and Odds

Oddsmakers currently have Virginia as a 2 point favourite over Duke, while the over/under is set at 135.