Coming off a heartbreaking loss at No. 8 Notre Dame Wednesday night, the Blue Devils didn't need another obstacle ahead of their Saturday date at No. 2 Virginia.
They have another one to overcome anyway.
On the heels of the dismissal of junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon, No. 4 Duke will face its toughest test of the season at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. In the past nine days, the Blue Devils watched the contracting ceremony of center Marshall Plumlee, won head coach Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th game and coughed up a 10-point lead in a critical ACC contest at No. 8 Notre Dame, but Saturday's game is now about one main storyline—how Duke performs without its sixth man.
The Blue Devils (17-3, 4-3 in the ACC) now have only eight scholarship players—one of whom is Grayson Allen, who has played sparingly in meaningful games so far in his freshman campaign—facing a team known for wearing opponents down throughout the course of 40-minute battles. The Cavaliers (19-0, 7-0) are one of two unbeaten teams in the nation and typically go 10 deep, with all 10 averaging 9.8 minutes or more per game on the season.
Head coach Tony Bennett's pack-line, man-to-man defense prevents opponents from getting easy looks through constant rotation and communication, but Virginia has turned into a true title contender thanks to its offensive efficiency. The Cavaliers lead the nation by allowing just 49.2 points per game, but also rank ninth in the country in points per possession offensively despite playing at a much slower tempo. With very little room for foul trouble or injuries, Duke will likely need its most complete performance since Dec. 3 at then-No. 2 Wisconsin facing a squad that has mastered the art of winning close games.
Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech—which nearly shocked Virginia in its last game Sunday—all had the Cavaliers on the ropes late. But led by junior guards Justin Anderson and Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia came up clutch to preserve their perfect record on all three occasions.
Anderson and Brogdon—who stand at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-5, respectively—combine to score 27.2 points per game and do a bit of everything in Bennett's methodical motion offense. Anderson has especially elevated his play this season thanks to his long-range shooting. The 228-pound wing has made 42 triples this year while shooting 51.9 percent from long range, the sixth-best clip in the country.
The ability of Blue Devil lefty swingman Justise Winslow to match up with Anderson—another versatile southpaw—will be a big key for Duke given its limited depth, as will locating Virginia's go-to scorer if the Blue Devils play zone. The other Cavalier threats from outside who could attack Duke starting guards Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones are point guard London Perrantes—who leads the team in minutes at 32.4 but mostly facilitates, averaging just 5.1 points per game—and reserve Marial Shayok.
If Cook and Jones can work against the length of Virginia's guards to get the ball to freshman center Jahlil Okafor down low, the ACC's leading scorer will operate against the trio of Anthony Gill, Dorian Atkins or Mike Tobey. Okafor has shown that he can score one-on-one against almost anyone in the country, but his ability to make the game easier for his teammates will likely determine whether or not Duke bounces back after scoring just two baskets in the last 10:58 of Wednesday's game and watching a 10-point lead evaporate.
Okafor, Winslow and junior Amile Jefferson all shoot less than 60 percent from the free-throw line and Okafor and Jefferson combined to go 2-of-10 at the charity stripe against the Fighting Irish. Against such a stingy defense, the Blue Devils will not be able to afford another poor night at the foul line or lapses in intensity.
Duke had its back against the wall Jan. 17 at then-No. 6 Louisville after two straight losses, and responded with a bounce-back win. Two weeks later, the Blue Devils will try to show they can also overcome enormous off-court obstacles and stay in the ACC regular season race.
Team sources were not made available for comment about Saturday's game Thursday or Friday.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.