Wake Forest @ Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 21, 2018 ) Virginia 59, Wake Forest 49

Virginia returns home with a one in the loss column after suffering its first defeat at Duke on Saturday. The third-ranked Cavaliers will be looking to start another win streak on Monday as they host Wake Forest.

Virginia went toe-to-toe with Duke and its freshman sensations on Saturday but, in the end, the combo of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett was too much for even the Cavaliers’ vaunted pack-line defense. "We're a solid defensive team, but tonight, we were not solid enough," Virginia coach Tony Bennett told reporters after the 72-70 loss. Wake Forest was unable to build off its huge 71-67 win over No. 19 North Carolina State two games ago as eighth-ranked Virginia Tech comfortably handled the Demon Deacons 87-71 on Saturday. "We had guys shoot the ball. We just didn't make any," Deacons coach Danny Manning told the media after the loss as his team went 18-of-48 from the field.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Raycom Sports

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (8-9, 1-4 ACC): Leading scorer Brandon Childress was a bright spot on Saturday, scoring 28 points - including 18 in the second half - on 7-of-12 shooting, pushing his team-leading season average to 16.8 points. No one else stepped up offensively, however, as the rest of the team combined to go 11-of-36 from the floor and 3-of-15 from long range. One thing the Demon Deacons did well against the Hokies was to get to the line, finishing with a 38-22 edge in free-throw attempts.

ABOUT VIRGINIA (16-1, 4-1): The Cavaliers, who are holding opponents to a 37.8-percent field-goal percentage on the season (fifth-best in the nation), allowed Duke to shoot 51 percent on Saturday. Virginia was outrebounded 32-30 by Duke and committed 20 personal fouls to the Blue Devils’ 18. Offensively, De’Andre Hunter led the way with 18, while Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome each contributed 14.

TIP-INS

1. Wake Forest leads the all-time series 70-66, but Virginia has won six straight, including last year’s 59-49 win in Winston-Salem, N.C.

2. The Cavaliers rank first nationally in the KenPom overall ratings.

3. The Demon Deacons score 26 percent of their points from the free-throw line, the highest percentage in the nation.

PREDICTION: Virginia 71, Wake Forest 59