No. 6 Duke and No. 5 Virginia will on Sunday battle for the ACC tournament title at the Greensboro Coliseum, with the game streaming live on WatchESPN.com at 1:00 pm ET.
Both teams will book a place into the NCAA National Tournament, but the motivation is high on the list, as they seek to enter the championship on a winning note.
Duke vs. Virginia
ACC Championship
March 16, 2014 • 1 p.m.
Greensboro, N.C. • Greensboro Coliseum (23,300)
ESPN • ACC Network • Blue Devil IMG Sports Network • Live Stats • Interactive Bracket
The Opening Tip – Duke Blue Devils
• Following Saturday’s 75-67 win over seventh-seeded NC State in the ACC Tournament semifinals, third-seeded Duke will face top-seeded Virginia for the league crown Sunday at 1 p.m. The championship appearance will be the 31st for the Blue Devils, who own a 19-11 record in the league title game.
• The Blue Devils have won 11 straight ACC Tournament games as the No. 3 seed. Duke has won three consecutive ACC Championship games as the No. 3 seed (2003, 2005 and 2009).
• The Blue Devils are 15-3 all-time and 9-2 under Coach K against Virginia in the ACC Tournament. Duke has won six straight games against Virginia in the ACC Tournament, though the two have never met in the championship game.
• Duke is ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press poll and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils are 81-22 all-time when playing as the No. 7 team in the AP poll.
The Last Time Out
• Jabari Parker scored 20 points, Rasheed Sulaimon poured in 16 and Quinn Cook and Rodney Hood added 14 apiece to lead Duke past NC State, 75-67, in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament Saturday. The win propelled Duke into its 31st ACC Championship game.
• Parker hit 8-of-15 field goals and grabbed eight rebounds on the way to his 17th 20-point game of the season. He has led Duke in scoring in each of his first two ACC Tournament games.
• Duke held NC State to two three-pointers and a .143 (2-of-14) clip from three-point range. The Wolfpack hit just 1-of-10 shots from beyond the arc in the second half.
• Cook provided the spark in the first half, scoring eight points while hitting all three field goals, including two from beyond the arc. He dished out three assists and committed one turnover in 22 minutes as the Blue Devils gave the ball away just six times for the game.
• Malcolm Brogdon had 17 points and Joe Harris added 15 for UVa.
• Virginia outrebounded Duke, 34-31, behind Akil Mitchell’s team-high nine rebounds.