Duke's average victory margin during a six-game win streak over Virginia is 18.0 points.
The fifth-ranked Blue Devils can earn their 16th win in 17 tries against the Cavaliers as they go on the road Wednesday night.
Duke (23-2, 10-1 ACC) has dominated Virginia (12-12, 3-7) by winning 27 of the last 30 meetings, and many of the recent ones have not been close. That may have been the case when these teams met Jan. 15 in Durham, but it took a huge second half from the Blue Devils to pull away for a 76-60 win.
The Cavaliers led 31-25 at halftime before the Blue Devils heated up and shot 58.6 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes. Nolan Smith scored a game-high 29 points.
Smith continues to shine as the ACC's leading scorer at 21.4 points per game. He's upped that figure to 23.3 per conference game.
"He's had a great year," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "That's why we've won 10 conference games and 23 regular-season games. He and Kyle (Singler) have been men for us."
The Hall of Fame coach almost didn't have Smith at his disposal for the end of Sunday's 81-71 victory at Miami. Smith had to leave due to a scratched left eye but returned to score 16 of his 18 points in the second half.
"It was closed for a while," Smith said. "I really didn't know what was going on at the time. They just numbed it up a bit at halftime. Now I feel fine."
Krzyzewski moved Seth Curry into the lineup alongside Smith after Tyler Thornton started the previous three games. Curry had 16 points one game after he had 20 in a big comeback victory over then-No. 20 North Carolina.
"I think Curry had his second great game in a row for us," Krzyzewski said. "He not only scored, he had five steals, he's making plays."
Curry didn't have much of an impact in the first meeting with Virginia, making 1 of 6 shots for seven points. The Cavaliers will likely have two different starters from that matchup in Wednesday's lineup.
Freshman K.T. Harrell has come off the bench the last three games while Will Sherrill did not play in Saturday's 63-56 loss at Florida State due to a leg injury. Freshmen Sammy Zeglinski and Joe Harris have joined the lineup.
The Cavaliers shot 31.7 percent Saturday for their lowest mark in ACC play this season. Zeglinski and Harris combined for 36 points.
"It's hard, you look at them in the locker room and you say 'You're fighting, you're getting close,'" coach Tony Bennett said. "That can sound old, but what's the alternative? Just don't go backwards. I want them to be the best they can be."
Virginia is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the conference at 38.7 percent, but may want to reduce its reliance on the long ball after attempting a season-high 30 on Saturday.
