Duke men's basketball must use height advantage and limit strong ...

Coming off a tough loss to Miami, the Blue Devils will hit the road Saturday for an equally formidable opponent in No. 8 Virginia. With only seven games left in the regular season, a road game against a talented ACC opponent provides Duke with the opportunity to prepare for the tough competition to come.

Beekman’s stout defense and Clark’s aggressive drives to the basket are the backbone of this team, and the Blue Devils must manage their consistent production on both sides of the ball if they hope to squeeze out a victory. A main facilitator of the Cavaliers’ offense, Clark averages an extremely respectable 11.6 points and six assists per game this season. Even against a strong Hokies defense, Clark was able to put up an impressive stat line of 17 points and four assists. Watch as Clark takes MJ Collins of the Hokies one-on-one and effortlessly drives past him for an easy layup.

Virginia Tech’s win against the Cavaliers exposed similar height deficiencies. Their shot-blocking ability and overall defensive success was overwhelmed by the height of the Hokies’ roster. Without a true center on the court, Virginia was left vulnerable in the paint. Seven-footer Kyle Filipowski knows better than anyone how to use his size and length to create opportunities around the rim, and the Blue Devils will look to capitalize on this mismatch to find success. Watch Filipowski absolutely dominate two defenders for the easy lay-in in the paint.

The Blue Devils are not without issues that they must clean up in order to have a chance to come away with the victory Saturday. An abundance of turnovers proved costly for Duke against Miami, and it must focus on moving the ball efficiently and successfully in order to revive its moribund offense. Here, a poor and misguided pass from freshman guard Tyrese Proctor allows a huge, momentum-building dunk for the Miami offense.

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