No. 11 Virginia looks to rebound after blowout loss to No. 1 Duke

The Cavaliers will host Wake Forest as they try to bounce back from a 26-point defeat.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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No. 11 Virginia will try to put aside a lopsided 77-51 loss at No. 1 Duke and finish the regular season with two more wins at home, starting with a matchup against Wake Forest on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers are still in second place in the ACC but suffered their worst defeat of the season against the Blue Devils, shooting just 20% from 3-point range and 29.1% overall. Virginia will look to rebound against a Wake Forest team that is 2-6 on the road and 0-6 against ranked opponents this season.

Why it matters

Virginia's blowout loss to Duke was uncharacteristic for the Cavaliers, who have only suffered three other defeats this season - all close games. The team will need to bounce back quickly to maintain their position in the ACC standings and build momentum heading into the postseason.

The details

Virginia shot poorly against Duke, connecting on just 7 of 35 3-pointers (20%) and 16 of 55 shots overall (29.1%). The Cavaliers never led in the game, snapping a nine-game win streak. Despite the lopsided defeat, Virginia forward Devin Tillis said the team views it as a learning experience, especially with the NCAA Tournament approaching. Wake Forest, meanwhile, is coming off an 88-83 home win over Syracuse in which Myles Colvin scored 32 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 8-of-9 from 3-point range.

  • Virginia will host Wake Forest on Tuesday, March 5, 2026.
  • Virginia will host rival Virginia Tech on Saturday, March 9, 2026.

The players

Devin Tillis

A forward for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Dallin Hall

The point guard for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Myles Colvin

A player for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons who scored 32 points in their recent win over Syracuse.

Steve Forbes

The head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Thijs De Ridder

Leads Virginia in scoring at 16.0 points per game and rebounding at 6.2 per game.

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What they’re saying

“We haven't really got our butts kicked before. We're 25-4, but we kind of need something like that to learn, especially going into March. Those are the teams we have to beat and compete against. So, I think it was a good experience for us, no matter how it went.”

— Devin Tillis (statenews.net)

“We will learn from it. That's what this team has done all year. They've responded after adversity. It's hard. There's a lot of emotion right after a game, so we've got to really look at the tape and dial in on the things that we need to improve on, but we're definitely going to get better from it.”

— Dallin Hall, point guard (statenews.net)

“Myles Colvin is a testament to resiliency and belief in yourself. I think he was one for 16 in the last two games coming in here, but the shot quality today was pretty good. He's got a tight spin on that thing. He's got confidence. He missed one three, and that was at the end when he was wide open, What a great comeback for him.”

— Steve Forbes, head coach (statenews.net)

What’s next

Virginia will have a rematch at home against rival Virginia Tech on Saturday, March 9, 2026.

The takeaway

Virginia's blowout loss to Duke was an uncharacteristic performance for the Cavaliers, who will need to quickly regroup and learn from the defeat in order to maintain their position in the ACC standings and build momentum heading into the postseason.