1. Pace is always a big deal in a basketball game, but it's about as important as it can be in tonight's game. No. 16 Virginia ranks second in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering a mere 50.5 points per game. The Cavaliers play a slow-down game, locking the opponent down, playing solid half-court offense and setting up easy buckets from their defense. Duke, however, is ninth in the country by scoring over 82 points per game. Four Blue Devils average double-digit points, and a Duke player has recorded a double-digit performance 59 times on the young season.

The battle of wills should be compelling. Expect Duke to explode off defensive rebounds so Virginia can't set up its defense.

2. Seth Curry is one of the better players in the country, but his importance to Duke cannot be understated, particularly from a scoring standpoint. He's scored fewer than the 13 points he's averaging five times, although two were blowouts in which he didn't play the entire game. The other three instances – when he was not relieved by the end of the bench – were against Kansas (close win), Ohio State (blowout loss) and Temple (loss). That doesn't bode well for the Blue Devils, who have no shortage of tough opponents on their ACC schedule. Duke's won every game he's scored in double digits this season.

Virginia's Joe Harris will likely guard Curry tonight. Harris is one of the better defenders in the ACC, so the 12-20 points the Devils will likely need from Curry won't be easy to come by.