For Virginia students, tomorrow night's 9 o'clock game against Duke is the most anticipated of the year.
For the Cavaliers, the game represents an opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing loss at UNC and stay perfect at U-Hall.
Virginia (14-8, 5-5 ACC) has beaten Duke (16-3, 6-3) at home each of the last two seasons, upsetting the then-third ranked Blue Devil squad last year, 87-84, by going on a 17-0 run late in the second half.
Earlier this season, then top-ranked Duke beat Virginia, 104-93, at home behind 34 points from Duke freshman guard J.J. Redick. Redick made 9-of-13 shots from the field, including five three-pointers and 11-of-11 free throws to set a new Duke freshman scoring record. Senior forward Dahntay Jones added 23 points as well.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor in what was a very physical game, but the Blue Devils went 37-of-40 from the free throw line, allowing them to pull away. Four Cavaliers scored in double figures, led by senior forward Travis Watson's 26 points.
"It was a weird game," Duke guard Chris Duhon said afterward. "There were a lot of fouls. We couldn't stop them, and they couldn't stop us. It was just one of those games where everything was just going right for both teams. We did a great job of just holding them off and making the most plays to be victorious."
Virginia is coming off an 81-67 loss in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers fell behind early, as the Heels scored the game's first 10 points and jumped out to a 34-15 lead. Virginia rallied back to tie the game at 47, but UNC responded with an 18-5 run that sealed the game. The Cavaliers committed 21 turnovers and shot just 38 percent from the floor.
"Our kids fought back down nine at the half, and we tied it and then we went through another bad stretch where we had turnovers," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "Our turnovers I thought beat us. 21 turnovers that led to I thought three or four or five easy baskets. You can't win that way."
Junior guard Todd Billet led Virginia with 16 points, and Watson, despite 3-of-11 shooting, added 13 points and 15 rebounds.
UNC freshmen Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants both had 21 to lead the Heels, who shot 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from behind the arc.
Coming into the game, Virginia was perhaps the ACC's hottest team, having won four of its last five.
"We got out, pressured them and made them turn the ball over a lot," McCants said. "We capitalized on the turnovers that they had and came out and blew them out."
Duke is coming off a 94-80 double overtime loss at Wake Forest last night in a closely officiated game in which there were 64 fouls and eight players disqualified with five apiece. Duke shot only 31 percent from the floor -- an uncharacteristically low number for the sharpshooting Blue Devils.
Virginia's game with Duke will be televised nationally on ESPN.
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