Mark's take - Duke is still stinging from last seasons loss to UVA which sent the team on a tailspin.  The Blue Devils want to get off to a good start in the ACC, but must overcome injuries and illness in the front court.  Duke lost on a buzzer beater last season in Charlottesville and did not get a return trip with the unbalanced schedule.  It is worth noting that Duke still struggles with swift point guards, namely the likes of Sean Singletary and Fields from Pitt.  Another interesting factor is the fact that UVA's Leitao has played a few head games in an effort to motivate the Hoo's who last season tied the Heels at 11-5 atop he ACC.  My thinking is that Coach K has his troops ready and injuries will not slow the Devils provided they keep their key players stay out of foul trouble.  The pick here is Duke 83 Virginia 68

Bob's take - The scouting report on Virginia is that their defense is suspect. The Wahoos have struggled defending the 3-point line, Xavier burned them going 16-26 (61.5%) from long distance, and they are not effective defending in transition. Both of these areas are Duke offensive strengths. Duke's defense will focus on containing Sean Singletary and on offense Duke will play their game, which means getting out in transition and knocking down open shots.

Duke enters the game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder from last season. Duke started the ACC season off 0-2 with losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech; and then a last second loss to Virginia three weeks later started a three game slide, so it is imperative that Duke starts this year's ACC season off strong.

There are many questions going into the ACC opener: Lance Thomas' health, Jon Scheyer's shooting stroke, Kyle Singler's propensity for foul trouble and Taylor King's defensive skills to name a few. Duke will start to provide positive answers to those questions with a decisive victory over Virginia.

My prediction: Duke 85 - Virginia 65.

The Cameron Crazies are ready to add the Hoo's to the stew

Virginia Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. Virginia Def
80.4 Pts F 63.4 Pts A 45.2 FG% 40.3 FG% 39.5 Reb. 31.2 Reb.	85.4 Pts F 69.0 Pts A 48.5 FG% 41.3 FG% 31.2 Reb. 27.7 Reb.

Currently in the Blue Devil Nation Premium (subscription) Newsletter -

- Interview with DeMarcus Nelson on the upcoming Virginia game

- Interview with Taylor King on the upcoming Virginia game

- An article on Duke's Football Recruiting weekend, identifying some of the key targets

- The real skinny on Duke Basketball Recruiting focusing on the Class of 2009

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