Virginia gets ready to take on Duke, De’Andre Hunter named to preseason watch list and more ‘Hoos in the news

On Thursday STL brought you some background on Bronco Mendenhall’s $500K donation to the Virginia Cavaliers football program, our complete preview of Virginia’s road game against the Duke Blue Devils, our ACC power rankings, and a look at Virginia basketball’s struggles in the postseason.

Here’s a look at what else is happening around the corner:

Virginia wants to be ACC contender, faces road test vs Duke (APNews)

Last year at the season’s midpoint mark, Virginia was 5-1. The Cavaliers went on to lose five of their last six, but this year they want a different outcome. The team’s win over ACC opponent Miami has them hyped to take on another strong conference contender when they travel to Durham to take on Duke this weekend.

Offensive coordinator Robert Anae adds spark to Cavaliers’ sideline (Daily Progress)

Fun fact: Virginia’s offensive coordinator spent the first five games of the season coaching from the booth, before making the move to the sidelines for the Miami game. Ron Counts writes that the addition of Anae “may have been the spark the Cavaliers needed.”

Ask an Opposing Beat Writer: Virginia at Duke (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Mike Barber chatted with Steve Wiseman of the Durham Herald-Sun and Raleigh News & Observer ahead of Virginia’s road game against the Blue Devils. Both teams have their sights set on the ACC Coastal Division title and this weekend is a crucial point in that pursuit. They talked about Virginia’s most recent games against Duke, Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones, their defense and Duke’s loss to Virginia Tech.

Last but certainly not least, redshirt sophomore small forward De’Andre Hunter — a projected top draft pick in 2019 — was one of 20 players named to the watch list for the 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

TOTD:

Virginia sophomore Paige Madden was named to the 2019 World University Games roster on Thursday by USA Swimming. The Cavalier swimmer will represent the U.S. in the 200-meter freestyle at the meet in Naples, Italy and is the ninth female swimmer from Virginia to compete at the World University Games.