Facing the #2 team in the nation on the road is a daunting task as Saturday evening Dave Leitao ventures into Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time as the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers (10-6, 4-2) to take on the Duke Blue Devils (18-1, 6-0). The mission might be impossible for most but the new coach has been proving a lot of people wrong already this season. Dave Leitao's team has responded to something he said right after taking the job, "Why not Virginia?" With a strong backcourt on his side and nothing to lose we examine what lies ahead for the Hoos on Saturday night.
Most people think the first issue for the Virginia Cavaliers to address will be trying to slow All-American candidate J.J. Redick (pictured) down. Expect J.R. Reynolds and Mamadi Diane to do most of the work but a team effort will be needed to challenge Redick's shots. Most teams have focused on slowing Redick but in the Blue Devils lone loss to Georgetown the Hoyas let Redick have his way and smothered the rest of the Blue Devils leading to the upset victory. Will Leitao and the staff try the same concept on Saturday?
This is Duke however and they aren't a one man gang. Inside Shelden Williams returns as the top post player in the ACC and the trio of Jason Cain, Laurynas Mikalauskas, and Tunji Soroye will have their hands full with the other All-American candidate for the Blue Devils. Williams is consistent but in that loss to Georgetown the big man offered up just 4 points. Blocking shots is another strong part of Williams' game but while many shot blockers land in foul trouble the Duke star has only fouled out once in 19 games this year. If the Hoos want to improve their chances of winning they will need to attack Williams inside to try and sit him on the bench where he's least effective.
While Redick and Williams lead the way for Duke they have a nice complement of role players that have helped keep the Blue Devils at the top of the rankings for most of the season. Point guard Sean Dockery is regarded as one of the ACC's best defenders and undoubtedly will be trying to keep Virginia's Sean Singletary from having another big game offensively. Lee Melchionni provides some good shooting from the perimeter and the ability to help out on the boards for Coach K's team. Freshman Josh McRoberts has been a solid figure next to Williams in the paint but has yet to have a big game in conference play. The Hoos will need to keep the freshman sensation from having that first big game on Saturday night.
Greg Paulus and DeMarcus Nelson round out a strong backcourt for the Blue Devils. Paulus is the starting point guard for Duke while Nelson is an athletic swingman who plays much bigger than his 6'3 size.
Virginia will turn to point guard Sean Singletary (pictured) and shooting guard J.R. Reynolds for the heroics more than likely on Saturday. Their strong play has helped the young Cavaliers to the 4-2 start in conference play.
Lately though the entire team has stepped up their play as Dave Leitao has the Cavaliers believing in his system of strong defense and controlling the boards.
Jason Cain will give up weight and strength inside but the hustling power forward remains among the ACC's leading rebounders with 7.8 per game. Cain will need another big effort as the Shelden Williams has dominated the inside against just about everyone this season.
Cain won't be without help as freshman power forward Laurynas Mikalauskas has shown Cavalier fans that he's a player to be reckoned with inside. The youngster has found a way to control his aggressiveness allowing him to stay out of foul trouble lately, all while upping his offensive output. His play of late has helped take some of the pressure off the backcourt and battling Duke's frontcourt and crowd will be a big test for the freshman.
Adrian Joseph will get the start but Mamadi Diane will also see significant minutes due to his defensive abilities. Diane will get thrown into the fire and get some chances to guard Redick for the Hoos. Don't expect the freshman to be nervous either as he's already worked out with NBA players during the summer to try and better his all around game.
"Springs" as Joseph is called has been clutch for the Cavaliers this season. Although he's not the team's leading scorer "Springs" has hit more than his fair share of big baskets in crunch time to help seal some wins. His matchup with Melchionni could be an advantage for Dave Leitao due to his speed and athleticism. If Joseph knocks down a few shots early and Melchionni presses him look for him to put it on the floor and attack the rim. There the Hoos hope "Springs" can draw fouls and gets some easy points from the line.
T.J. Bannister will see plenty of action as well for the Cavaliers. His presence has made things that much better for the Hoos. The relief he gives Sean Singletary whether it be subbing directly for him or running the point when Singletary moves to shooting guard has been invaluable. Bannister's penetration could continue to give some Hoos easy buckets, draw fouls on the Blue Devil's post players, or both.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain expect the Virginia Cavaliers to try and attack the Blue Devils and quiet the "Cameron Crazies" to give themselves a chance. Throw in a total team effort spearheaded by all-everything point guard Sean Singletary and Hoo fans believe.
Game starts at 7 PM and will be televised on ESPN.