Duke vs. Virginia: The Championship Battle Rages On!
Previewing the ACC Tournament title game between Duke and Virginia.
Duke and Virginia met on Feb. 28 with first place in the ACC on the line. The top-ranked Bue Devils sent a resounding message to the Cavaliers, pounding Ryan Odom’s team in a 77-51 victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The two meet again in Charlotte on Saturday night with the ACC Tournament title on the line, but Jon Scheyer’s squad looks a bit different than it did a few weeks ago. Duke is missing starting point guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba, and is down to seven regular players in the rotation. That doesn’t concern Scheyer when it comes to playing their third game in as many days.
“It's a blessing to be playing for a championship,” the coach said. “So fatigue is not going to be a factor in this. It's a blessing.
We're grateful to be in this position where it's hard to sleep, you're not going to get much sleep tonight. ” Much like Duke, the Cavaliers waltzed into the finals with a big victory over Miami on Friday, defeating the Hurricanes 84-62, with five players scoring in double digits, led by 17 points by Ugonna Onyenso off the bench. It was the Boozer brothers who did in the Tigers in the nightcap on Friday, combining for 40 points, with Cameron Boozer putting up another double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds in the 73-61 win.