It was not pretty last time, and based on the past couple performances, it does not figure to be pretty this time either.
Back in December, the highly touted Cavaliers rolled into Durham for what many thought would be a great battle between two top-15 teams. But thanks to some stellar play on the part of the Blue Devils, coupled with an incredibly weak performance by the Cavaliers, it turned into a 103-61 blowout.
Part of Virginia's problem that game was point guard Donald Hand, who shot an uncharacteristic 1-for-10 from the floor and turned the ball over seven times as opposed to only five assists. To say the least, when No. 3 Duke (22-2, 10-1 in the ACC) returns the favor by traveling to Charlottesville to face No. 12 Virginia (16-6, 5-6) tonight at 7 p.m., Hand and the Cavs will have to play much better to have a chance.
Prior to the last Duke-Virginia matchup, Hand, a senior, had been showing flashes of becoming one of the best point guards in the conference. When he came down to Cameron, however, the Blue Devils were able to fluster him early and he returned to his former self-a streaky player who takes unwise shots, makes unwise passes and has problems when he is not at University Hall.
"They did a great job taking Donald Hand out of the game," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "Donald got frustrated and had some bad breaks."
Since then, Hand has made several strides to return to his
But just like his streakiness in years before, Hand fizzled on the road along with his team in the last two games. After attaining their highest ranking of the year at No. 6, the Wahoos lost two straight to the likes of N.C. State and Georgia Tech. Although Hand put in a great 29-point performance against a weak Wolfpack squad, he managed to go 0-for-9 from the field with only two total points against the Yellow Jackets.
Hand's dismal effort in Atlanta prompted his frustrated coach to quip about throwing everything away.
"I tried to jump off the plane in transit, but they caught me and brought me back," Gillen said. "Now I picked three bridges; I'm definitely going to end [my life] but I haven't decided what bridge.... I'm leaning toward the Brooklyn Bridge so I can see some of my friends who are probably buried there."
With the loss to Georgia Tech, the Cavs' record fell to 1-5 on the road in ACC play, which is not an acceptable mark for a team teetering between a No. 2 and No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. The selection committee continually emphasizes how important it is to win games in hostile environments.
"We're definitely different on the road, for whatever reason," Hand said.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, that is one thing they can cross off their list of worries for tonight. Currently remaining atop Gillen's list are a surging Jason Williams and a Duke team still mad over its loss to North Carolina. Of course, the Cavaliers also have to contend with the fact that the Blue Devils have not lost a road game in the ACC in more than three years. Still, the Cavaliers are nothing for the Blue Devils to take lightly.
"Virginia is a hungry team," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I think they're in the tournament already, but now they're trying to position themselves for the tournament. I know we're in the tournament, but you have to be as hungry as the team you play."
The Cavs will undoubtedly be out for blood having lost all six games against Duke under Gillen. Only once have they even managed to keep the final margin under double-digits. However, if they are firing on all cylinders, they do have a legitimate chance of ending Duke's amazing record.
"Our team is looking forward to playing Duke," Gillen said. "They won a lot of games on the road so we've got our hands full. We're not playing our best basketball right now, but hopefully we'll be able to go out and be competitive."
Regardless of whether the Cavs are playing their best basketball, nothing is going to work right for Virginia if Hand does not get back on track tonight.
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