Preview: Duke (25-3) v. Virginia (14-13)

Previewing the Blue Devils and Cavaliers who will tip off tonight in Charlottesville at 7:00 PM. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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Duke (25-3, 12-2) vs Virginia (14-13, 4-10)
Charlottesville, Va. - John Paul Jones Arena
TV: ESPN / Tip: 7:00 PM ESPN

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Program Vitals
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Nickname: Cavaliers
Colors: Navy and Orange
Head Coach: Dave Leitao (3rd year)
Career Record at Virginia: 50-39 

Projected Starters:
 1 Jeff Jones (6-4, 195, Fr.) – 4.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
30 Adrian Joseph (6-7, 200, Sr.) – 10.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg
34 Ryan Pettinella (6-9, 250, Sr.) – 2.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg
32 Mike Scott (6-8, 235, Fr.) – 6.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg
44 Sean Singletary (6-0, 185, Sr.) – 19.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.8 apg

Key Reserves:
24 Mamadi Diane (6-5, 200, Jr.) – 11.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
 4 Calvin Baker (6-2, 185, So.) – 9.2 ppg
11 Laurynas Mikalauskas (6-8, 245, Jr.) – 6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
12 Jamil Tucker (6-8, 240, Jr.) - 4.8 ppg

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Storylines:

How They Got Here:
The Blue Devils have raced to a 12-2 conference record and a 25-3 overall mark - surpassing last year's record in both categories. Virginia, on the other hand is trying to stay about .500 overall and looking to get to six conference wins with victories in their final two games.

Series History:
This will be the 157th meeting between the two teams with Duke holding a 108-48 lead overall. Earlier this season the Blue Devils beat Virginia by 22 in Cameron. UVa won last season’s game at JPJA, 68-66 in overtime, as Sean Singletary hit the game-winning shot with 1.0 second to play.

Injury Report:
Both teams enter the game relative healthy.

Big Guard Likes The Big Stage:
Sean Singletary is one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. The senior is averaging 19.7 points and nearly six assists per game for Virginia. He recorded his 500th career assist in the last game. By reaching the mark, he became just the fifth player in ACC history to have 1,500 points, 500 assists, and 400 rebounds in a career. He joins Johnny Dawkins and Danny Ferry of Duke and Brian Oliver and Tony Akins of Georgia Tech as the only ACC players to reach all three milestones.

Don't Look Ahead:
With North Carolina winning against Florida State on Tuesday night, the Bleu Devils will need to win at Virginia in order to keep their ACC Title hopes alive. Duke currently sits on half game behind the Tar Heels, but do hold the tie breaker after winning in Chapel Hill earlier this season.

Duke Numbers (courtesy of Duke SID):
2.42:1 Junior Greg Paulus leads the ACC with a 2.42:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games this season, which is also the fifth-highest in school history. He has recorded 46 assists compared to just 19 turnovers in 14 league contests.

16.0 Jon Scheyer is averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from three-point distance over the last four games.

17.66 Duke and Virginia combine to make 17.66 three-point field goals per game. The Blue Devils lead the league at 9.29 3pg., while Virginia is second at 8.37 3pg. Duke limited the Cavaliers to just 4-of-14 from three-point distance in the first meeting, while making 11-of-31 from beyond the arc.

Coach K continues assault on wins list
Duke's victory over North Carolina State was Krzyzewski's 800th, good enough for fifth on the all-time list. Eddie Sutton is fifth overall and second among active coaches with 800 wins while first overall is Coach K’s recently retired college coach, Bob Knight, with 902 wins. With 800 career wins in his first 33 seasons, Coach K is currently second on the NCAA’s list of most victories in a coaches’ first 33 season. He trails Dean Smith, who had 802 wins through 33 seasons.

Prediction:

Duke 82
Virginia 71