Look past Zion Williamson’s block in Duke-Virginia and you’ll see all De’Andre Hunter brings to a game | Mike Jensen

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — It had to hurt his head. Not just losing to your hated rival in as big a regular-season game as college hoops can produce this season. Or being on the wrong end of a viral highlight.

Maybe the night was summed up for Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter by a first-half play Saturday, a simple handoff with a teammate, except they knocked heads, Cavs teammate hitting the ground, out of the game.

However, walking down a hallway inside John Paul Jones Arena later after his Cavaliers had lost to Duke, Hunter showed why he’s a future pro. Total pro.

Ask him about The Block, Hunter doesn’t flinch.

“I didn’t catch it right away," Hunter said of the little hitch in his shooting stroke from the right corner Saturday, with Duke phenom Zion Williamson flying at him, showing exactly and stunningly why Williamson is a sensation in his sport. “I honestly didn’t think he was going to get there in time.”

Hunter added, “But, he did.”

The shot ended up in the fourth row. The video, instantly viral. Virginia’s coach, Tony Bennett, said afterward that maybe only two people in the building could have gotten to that shot, with LeBron James, sitting in the front row, the obvious other candidate. (And could James have flown in the air like that?)

Separately, maybe there was only one person in the building with the confidence that he could make it work, and then shake it off when it did not.

Hunter, the 6-foot-7 redshirt sophomore from Friends’ Central (with a 7-2 wingspan) — Philadelphia’s top contribution to college hoops this season — had just hit a three-pointer to draw No. 3 Virginia within 66-61. No. 2 Duke scored inside at the other end. Here was another chance to inch closer. The block prevented it and that turned out to be that, Duke winning by 81-71.

“Can’t sulk on this one," Hunter said, pointing out the Cavs had a trip to North Carolina to face the Tar Heels two days later. He ended up scoring 20 in a 69-61 win Monday night.

He’s been through tougher times. Redshirting his freshman year wasn’t his idea, even if it turned out all right for him. The broken wrist suffered in last year’s ACC Tournament. This season, Hunter has been Virginia’s most efficient offensive player, and go-to defensive stopper. He’s one of a dozen players on a watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy for national player of the year.

It’s not an outlandish or Philly-centric opinion to think maybe the Cavs wouldn’t have made NCAA Tournament history last season against Maryland-Baltimore County — becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed — if Hunter hadn’t been hurt for the tournament. Talk about how Virginia isn’t built to come from behind, but losing your top player changes everything, and Hunter was Virginia’s top player last season.

He was a bit of a revelation then, in his first action after a redshirt season. He’s just more important now.

“I just want to be the best player on this team defensively," Hunter said, standing in the hallway. “Offensively, I just want to improve every game.”

Has his offensive role changed this year?

“I feel like, yeah," Hunter said. “I was more of just like a freelance guy last year, a guy who would feed off other people. I feel like this year I have to really go get mine and attack the paint, try to create my own shot.”

His early assignment Saturday was forward RJ Barrett. The Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer went off, hitting a spree of threes to get Duke rolling.

“We weren’t expecting that," Hunter said. “That was our main principle, keep ‘em out of the paint, make him shoot contested threes. I feel like we did that, but he was hitting. ... Almost everyone was hitting to start the game, so it was hard to stay true to our principles and get to the shooters as well.”

Everyone saw the same thing. When Duke adds outside shooting to its package, forget it. Unstoppable. If Virginia can’t stop it, it probably can’t be stopped.

Hunter is listed as a guard, but he’s more of an old-style small forward, able to work inside and out. After halftime, his defensive assignment was Williamson, and he was successful in keeping the ACC’s second-leading scorer away from the rim.

This game, there were two future pros from Philadelphia’s Friends Schools League, with Westtown School alum Cam Reddish going off after halftime to help Duke seal the win. Afterward, Reddish said there was a little trash-talking between the two guys who had played big games before back home.

That trash-talking, Hunter was asked — from him or you?

“More from him," Hunter said. “I try not to talk during the game. We went at it a little bit.”

(By the way, Williamson was classy in the other locker room. Did he get to enjoy The Block? “Not in a funny way," Williamson said. “Like, in a great-defensive-stop way. I was flying out there hoping he would drive. He shot it, and I was kind of shocked.”)

Can’t sulk if the day belongs to the other guys, when maybe your own head hurts a bit, when you’re 20-2, the two losses both to Duke.

“We just have to go back to work," Hunter said walking back to his own locker room, story of his season far from over.