Five Keys to Virginia Basketball Upsetting No. 3 Duke

Posted by author February 17, 2025 Basketball

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On Monday night, the Virginia Cavaliers will welcome the Duke Blue Devils to Charlottesville. The last time the Blue Devils played in John Paul Jones Arena was 2023, when Virginia earned a 69-62 overtime victory. With that said, here are five keys to the Hoos defending the home court two years later.

The freshman phenom leads the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, solidifying himself as a clear-cut Wooden Award favorite headed into March. The 6’9 forward runs the Duke offense, and containing him is the first way to frustrate it. So, who gets the assignment? None other than Andrew Rohde, who has proved to be Virginia’s top defender in the backcourt this season, showing his high knowledge of the ‘Pack Line’ defense. If Rohde, who has been an absolute star on both ends of the court these last few games, is up to the challenge against Flagg, it will bolster Virginia’s chances of upsetting the No. 3 team in the nation.

One of the major factors to Virginia’s win streak this past week has been the Hoos’ ability to shoot from downtown. The Cavaliers are shooting 40% from three these past three games, a mark that would put them 4th in the NCAA this season. Leading the charge has been Isaac McKneely, who notably shot 6/14 against Virginia Tech and 4/9 against Georgia Tech. He will need to be on his A-game once again from range. Other contributors such as Andrew Rohde, Dai Dai Ames, Elijah Saunders, and Ishan Sharma will also need to make sure they exploit the Blue Devils from deep, as every point counts even more against a team with the offensive ferocity that the Blue Devils play with.

Anthony Robinson came to life at Cassell Coliseum this past Saturday, scoring 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds, with three of those being on the offensive end of the floor, giving the Virginia offense second chances that were key to the Cavaliers earning their first victory in Blacksburg since 2020. Alongside Jacob Cofie and Blake Buchanan, the Hoos must be physical against Duke’s big Khaman Maluach to provide Virginia with extended possessions. In addition, this will further benefit Virginia from a pace-of-play standpoint, wasting seconds that Flagg and Co. could utilize on the other end.

Offensively, similar to Robinson’s performance Saturday, the Virginia big men need to step up, giving the Cavaliers consistent production throughout the game.

The mark of good Tony Bennett teams has been about executing at the free throw line, which generally is key to winning in March and upsetting highly touted opponents. Against Virginia Tech, the Cavs shot 16/19 from the stripe, a considerable factor in their three-point victory over the Hokies. Against Georgia Tech, the Hoos shot 4/5 from the line, and against Pittsburgh, Virginia shot 7/11. If the Hoos can keep it up against Duke, it’ll help Virginia keep it close.

The Cavaliers have begun to mesh this month with the offense starting to grasp the mover-blocker system, while Andrew Rohde has shown his vision as a point guard and leader for this Virginia offense. Besides the continual point production on the offensive side of the ball, if Virginia wants to win, they must fall back on the principle that has defined Virginia basketball since 2009, the ‘Pack Line’. If the Cavs can effectively execute their defense against some of the best offensive players in the country, Virginia has a decent shot at earning what could be a defining win for Ron Sanchez and company.

Tip-off for Virginia vs. Duke is at 8 pm at John Paul Jones Arena.

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