Duke basketball vs. Virginia: Score prediction for ACC Tournament championship
Duke basketball will look to continue its “revenge tour” against Virginia on Saturday in the ACC Tournament championship game at Greensboro Coliseum.
The 21st-ranked Blue Devils (25-8) and 13th-ranked Cavaliers (25-6) tip things off at 8:30 p.m. in a game that will be televised on ESPN.
Duke, which carries a season-long eight-game winning streak into Saturday’s title game, is 17-1 with its full roster available. The Blue Devils have won an ACC-best 21 tournament titles, including eight at Greensboro Coliseum.
Here’s a look at some things to know and a score prediction ahead of Duke’s matchup with Virginia.
‘We consider this matter closed’ between Duke, Virginia
Following Duke’s controversial 69-62 overtime loss at Virginia, the ACC admitted its officials made a mistake at the end of regulation before ending the statement with a sentence that read: “the conference considers this matter closed and will have no further comment."
On Feb. 11 in Charlottesville, Kyle Filipowski appeared ready to shoot two free throws with less than a second left in a tie game. But the officials who called the foul looked at replay and changed the call, sending the game to overtime.
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After the game ended, the ACC said its game officials incorrectly adjudicated the replay situation by not allowing Filipowski a chance to shoot freebies in regulation.
The Blue Devils’ Twitter account referenced that game on March 6 with a spicy tweet that read: One “we consider this matter closed” away from ACC co-champs. It's another factor that should make Saturday even more intriguing.
Jon Scheyer can join elite company
If Duke gets the win Saturday, Jon Scheyer will become just the third rookie coach in ACC history to secure a tournament title, joining Duke’s Vic Bubas (1960) and UNC’s Bill Guthridge (1998). Scheyer was 7-2 in the event as a player, finishing 6-0 over his final two seasons with titles in 2009 and 2010.
Player to watch: Kyle Filipowski
Aside from the controversial ending in the regular-season meeting, Filipowski had his worst performance of the season against Virginia. Duke’s leading scorer (15.3 points per game) and rebounder (8.9 rebounds per game), the freshman went scoreless with five turnovers before fouling out in overtime. Duke also had a season-worst 22 turnovers that night.
Duke vs. Virginia score prediction
Duke 64, Virginia 60: The Blue Devils, who are 15-4 against Virginia in the ACC Tournament, are as hot as any team in the country. This time, Filipowski won't have a goose egg in the scoring column. Behind a big performance from its double-double machine, Duke will win its 22nd tournament title.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball score prediction vs. Virginia at ACC Tournament
