No. 7 Virginia puts its seven-game winning streak on the line Saturday afternoon when it plays Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
In Coach Tony Bennett’s seven years guiding the Cavaliers (20-4, 9-3 ACC), Cameron Indoor is the only ACC stadium in which he has yet to win. This will certainly be on the minds of the Virginia players and coaches as they prepare to play in what is always a loud and distracting atmosphere for visiting teams.
The Blue Devils (18-6, 7-4 ACC) are quietly regaining their well-known, stellar form ever since they made national headlines just a week ago. Duke was not ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the preseason rankings of 2007-2008, an incredible span of 167 weeks.
Even though the Blue Devils are not living up to their high expectations — which they’ve seemingly possessed every year since Coach Mike Krzyzewski arrived on scene in the 1980s — no team can ever approach Duke lightly if they want to get a win at Cameron Indoor.
The Blue Devils have won three straight games against quality opponents since they lost their ranking. Sophomore guard Grayson Allen is becoming the player many thought he could be and freshman swingman Brandon Ingram is having a stellar year. Allen leads the team in points, assists and field goal percentage and is on ESPN’s Wooden Watch Award List. Ingram, meanwhile, seems to post a double-double every time he steps on the court.
Ball distribution will continue to be important for Virginia. On Tuesday, the Cavaliers easily defeated in-state rivals Virginia Tech 67-49. A major reason for the win was the Cavaliers’ 18 assists compared to only seven by Virginia Tech.
“I think it’s fun to watch when you share the ball and guys move it and they make the next pass,” Bennett said. “They’re playing, in my opinion, the right way.”
Sophomore guard Devon Hall said the passing has a lot to do with belief in one another on the court, as well as the players’ attitudes.
“Coach preaches the extra pass so when we can, we always make the extra pass because we trust everybody on the court,” Hall said. “I think we’re just in a rhythm of being able to be unselfish.”
This mentality has undoubtedly led to more open shots and higher shooting percentages for the Cavaliers. The leader behind the slick passing is junior guard London Perrantes. Perrantes has always been known as a top-tier passer for Virginia, but has been labeled as too selfless.
“I have had to push him more to shoot,” senior guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “London is a guy that always wants to get someone open before himself — he’s super unselfish.”
Perrantes leads the team in assists with 3.95 per game. However, he is also one of the best shooters on the team. The Los Angeles, Calif. native leads the team in three-point field goal percentage by a wide margin with an astounding 53.4 percent clip.
Perrantes has helped fill the scoring void left by Justin Anderson, who left for the NBA after last season.
The Cavaliers also need to continue improving their defense, which has come a long way since the beginning of the season.
“I think we’re playing better collectively on defense,” Bennett said. “Our defense is such a team defensive system. We were tied a little tighter together, and I think we’re in sync a little more than we were when we played them [Virginia Tech] last time.”
Bennett really stressed sharpening up the defense after the tough loss against the Hokies earlier in the year. The results have been astonishingly successful, as Virginia as held its last four opponents to an average of just over 48 points per game.
Virginia’s defense will be tested against a Duke offense that has been hot as of late. The Blue Devils have averaged more than 79.4 PPG over their last five contests.
Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The game can be viewed on ESPN.
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