Five on five: Does Virginia basketball have an advantage over Duke?

Ahead of the 2026-27 season, we will compare Virginia’s starting lineup with the rest of the ACC. The Cavalier starters have yet to be finalized, but four of the five are essentially locks to take the floor first (Chance Mallory, Sam Lewis, Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grunloh).

The five on five series begins with Duke, which beat Virginia in the 2026 ACC Tournament Championship Game and went on to lose to UConn in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils also defeated the Cavaliers in Durham, N.C. during the regular season.

Advertisement

This time around, Virginia and Duke play twice during the regular season – one home and one away – and always have a chance to meet in the ACC Tournament. Here is how these ACC titans stack up at this current moment.

PG: Chance Mallory (So.) versus Cayden Boozer (So.)

Mallory’s 2025-26: 0 GS, 36 GP, 24.1 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.7 RPG, 42.2% FG, 34.5% 3PT

Boozer’s 2025-26: 11 GS, 38 GP, 22.9 MPG, 7.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.3 RPG, 50.0% FG, 30.3% 3PT

Duke could opt to start senior Caleb Foster – but if the goal is to have a facilitator at point guard, then Boozer would be the better play. Regardless, Mallory flashed incredible potential last season and should have a slight advantage over either player. The only caveat is that the Blue Devils clearly win the size battle, which could impact the entire matchup.

Advertisement

Advantage: Virginia

SG: Jurian Dixon (R-Jr.) versus John Blackwell (Sr.)

Dixon’s 2025-26 (UC Irvine): 35 GS, 35 GP, 30.4 MPG, 15.9 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.6 RPG, 43.0% FG, 38.5% 3PT

Blackwell’s 2025-26 (Wisconsin): 34 GS, 34 GP, 33.7 MPG, 19.1 PPG, 2.3 APG, 5.1 RPG, 43.0% FG, 38.9% 3PT

There are several contenders to earn the final starting spot alongside Virginia’s four primary returners. Dixon could be an option – he was First Team All-Big West last season, and before that, he was the Big West Freshman of the Year. Even so, Duke has a massive advantage with Blackwell.

A major transfer acquisition, Blackwell earned a litany of All-Big Ten honors with…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/five-five-does-virginia-basketball-153531854.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-08-11 15:35:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.