Has Virginia basketball closed the gap on Duke?

For most of the past four decades, Duke has been the primary obstacle in Virginia’s quest to ascend to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball hierarchy.

The Cavaliers have enjoyed scattered success, including a 72-63 victory over the Blue Devils in the 2014 ACC tournament final. But that’s been the exception rather than the rule; even in their 2019 national championship season, they dropped both regular-season meetings to the Blue Devils.

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Former Virginia coach Pete Gillen once summed up his program’s plight succinctly: “Duke is Duke. They’re on TV more than ‘Leave it to Beaver.’ “

That was before every team’s every game was televised. (And if you’re unfamiliar with the Beav, ask your parents. “Leave it to Beaver” was its generation’s “Big Bang Theory,” with reruns always on somewhere).

But we digress. Virginia fans have reason to be optimistic after coach Ryan Odom retained every potential returning player from last season’s 30-6 squad and bolstered the roster with some talented transfers. The Cavaliers figure to be ranked in every preseason Top 25 poll.

Will it be enough, though, to close the gap with the Blue Devils?

Comparing the two teams

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke swept last season’s meetings, steamrolling the Cavaliers 77-51 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in January before eking out a 74-70 victory in the ACC tournament championship game. The Devils have won six of the last seven matchups overall. For all the Cavaliers’ achievements, they were clearly the league’s second-best team, both during the regular season and the postseason.

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Three members of that Duke team were subsequently picked in the NBA draft: power forward Cameron Boozer (No. 3 overall by Memphis), guard Isaiah Evans (No. 33 by…

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Publish date : 2026-07-02 17:00:00

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