Cavs take on Duke at home

In a newly released mock bracket for the upcoming NCAA women’s basketball tournament, Virginia was pegged as a fifth seed headed to Columbus, Ohio to play Virginia Commonwealth.
Boasting the 18th-best RPI earlier this week, the slotting would appear somewhat accurate for the Cavaliers (18-4, 4-2 ACC) at this point.
That projection could be bolstered tonight should
No. 17 Virginia pull off its second upset in seven days. The Cavaliers, fresh off last week’s win over Maryland, host No. 4 Duke (18-2, 6-1) at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena.
It will not be easy. The Blue Devils have won 16 of their past 17 games with the lone loss coming last week in overtime at Florida State, which shares first place with Duke.
“They are very good,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “They are a very good defensive team. That is sort of where they hang their hat. They keep the score low.
“They do run some, but they don’t want to be running up and down like crazy people. It is going to be an interesting game.”
As well as Duke has played, it is Virginia that boasts the longest winning streak in the ACC, having won three straight games.
“The things that we know that we can do within ourselves we are just trying to show you guys,” Virginia guard Kristen London said. “We already believe in ourselves. It is all about just putting it on paper.
“Instead of talking about it, instead of practicing about it, we just need to show it.”
During the winning streak, which includes a road win at Clemson and a blowout victory over Longwood, Virginia has leaned on the offensive prowess of Lyndra Littles, Aisha Mohammed and Monica Wright.
The energy at times, however, has been provided by the team’s spark plug, senior Britnee Millner. It is not uncommon to see the defensive-minded point guard flying into the crowd and diving onto the floor after loose balls.
“Britnee goes into the stands every game. I am starting to think that she has it out for the old people, because Britnee just tackles them,” London said. “That’s just the way that she is. Her energy picks me up.”
Duke, which boasts a more balanced attack offensively, is paced by Chante Black. The senior center averages 15.5 points per game and is the only Blue Devil among the league’s top 30 scorers.
“She is a very good player but we have a very good player inside too, so we will see,” said Ryan, referring to Mohammed. “We have a very physical player inside so we will see.”