Virginia Cavaliers at Duke Blue Devils

RJ Barrett leads No. 1 Duke past No. 4 Virginia 72-70

Barrett scored 30 points, Williamson had 27 and Duke gave Virginia its first loss of the season by beating the Cavaliers 72-70 on Saturday night.

The Blue Devils (15-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from an overtime loss to Syracuse that could cost them their top ranking. They avoided their first two-game losing streak at home since 2016 and proved they can win without Jones.

"We're a solid defensive team," coach Tony Bennett said, "but tonight, we were not solid enough."

"If you scored, you beat good defense," Krzyzewski said. "If you didn't score, good defense beat you."

After the Cavaliers missed 11 of 12 shots during a late nine-minute stretch, they pulled within 69-66 on Guy's 3-pointer with 23 seconds left. Barrett hit two free throws with 20.9 seconds to play, and Virginia let too much time elapse before Braxton Key was fouled with 8.9 seconds remaining and hit both shots to make it 71-68.

Cameron Reddish hit a free throw to make it a four-point game before Hunter hit a jumper before the buzzer for Virginia.

BIG PICTURE

"That was our game," Jerome said. "We had that game. We lost it. We made mistakes that we can control."

"Coach K gives us the freedom to be us," Williamson said. "When there's movement for the three of us, no telling what we can do."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Good luck to the voters who have to sort this out. It's hard to punish the Cavaliers too much for losing at Cameron. The question surrounding the Blue Devils: Will the spoils of this victory weigh more than their overtime loss to Syracuse when they were down two starters?

STRATEGY

INJURY REPORT

This was the Blue Devils' first full game without Jones, who separated the AC joint in his right shoulder early on against Syracuse. Jones watched from the bench in a polo shirt but without a sling. Duke had just six assists on 26 baskets after averaging 18 assists in its previous 16 games. Krzyzewski said there's still no timetable for Jones' return.

UP NEXT

Virginia: Plays host to Wake Forest on Wednesday night.

---

How can I watch Virginia vs. Duke?

• TV Channel: Virginia at Duke 2021 College Basketball, week 11, is broadcasted on ESPN.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
  Try Vidgo for free.