“Something’s Gotta Give” is a slow burner of a romantic comedy. It is disarmingly genuine in a genre that has been swamped by toilet humor and lowbrow physical comedy.

In this film, instead of driving the plot toward the next joke setup, director and screenwriter Nancy Meyers allows her characters to interact. Meyers takes her time, not wanting to rush her audience into a plot, and she allows her characters to establish themselves as three-dimensional. Only then does she solidify the love/hate relationship between the two protagonists and permit them to fully mingle.

The film begins with a shot of Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) in a car with his current girlfriend, Marin (Amanda Peet). The viewer learns that Harry, a media mogul for a rap record label, has a penchant for younger women, and he has never dated within his own age bracket.

So, when Harry accidentally meets Marin’s mother, Erica Barry (Diane Keaton) at her beach house, many gender issues come bubbling to the surface. Erica, an accomplished screenwriter, sees many men her age cavorting with younger women, and she feels ashamed of herself and her own femininity as a result. The conflicts eventually come to a head at the dinner table, where Erica’s younger sister Zoe (Frances McDormand) gives a passionate rant about the double standard of age norms between men and women. The speech, while painful, rings with truth, and it sets the bittersweet tone that dominates the rest of the movie.

Harry suffers a heart attack shortly after dinner, and by circumstance, Erica is thrust into the role of caretaker. Harry and Erica eventually move toward a mutual understanding, and the film tackles two important issues — Harry’s love of an older woman’s beauty and Erica’s love for her body. Erica’s writer’s block and her desire to write a winning screenplay add subtext to this main love story.

In the process of dealing with such sensitive issues, the movie often stops cold in its tracks, and the audience suffers from the film’s attempt to deal with its own weightiness. There are at least two false endings to this film, and by the last half hour, I was looking at my watch despite its modest 128-minute running time.

There are several times, however, when this decaffeinated approach works. Particularly charming are the Instant Message conversations that Harry and Erica have from different rooms of the same house. The hospital scenes are also refreshingly comical, and because Meyers has given the viewer so much time to know and breathe with the characters, the humor springs from them rather than from quippy jokes. There are no cardboard cutouts or raging stereotypes required in this comedy. Meyers has the maturity and intelligence to realize that human nature is funnier than either of these.

It is also important to note the individual performances in this film. Nicholson, although he turns in a decent performance, seems to have gotten lazy with this role. He appears content to play himself, and he turns in a satisfactory, though not brilliant, performance.

Keaton, however, bites into her role as Erica. She balances the humor and tragedy that is inherent in her character, and Keaton inflects her lines with a measure of vulnerability. She recently won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy. She also picked up the film’s only Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Although it is likely that Charlize Theron’s daring turn as a murderous prostitute in “Monster” will win over the Academy, Keaton’s performance could pull off a surprising upset.

In summary, a viewer’s enjoyment of “Something’s Gotta Give” is highly dependent on what kind of movie he or she wants to see. This is not, by any means, a popcorn fluff film. It deals with important issues in a graceful, protracted manner, and the viewer must be willing to digest the film rather than simply watch it. Even though it is classified as a comedy, “Something’s Gotta Give” is more about mood than the one-liners, and once the viewer settles in, he is liable to enjoy it a great deal more.

In the minds of dejected little girls across the country, there is perhaps no greater cause of heartbreak than the cruel reality that B2K’s first movie will probably be its last. The repercussions of the pop group’s bombshell breakup announcement, which prompted three consecutive days of mourning on 106 and Park, haunt every frame of the foursome’s final film, “You Got Served.” How do the slighted group members feel each time they see themselves in erstwhile amiable scenes with their recently departed lead singer? Are there any signs of tension or unhappiness that might have foreshadowed his stunning departure?

Actually, “You Got Served” isn’t really a chronicle of the slow crumbling demise of B2K, as much as I wish it was. Instead, the movie is a showcase for the combined acting muscle of Omari, “Omarion” Grandberry, Jarell “J-Boog” Houston, DeMario “Raz-B” Thornton and Dreux “Lil’ Fizz” Frederic –if by acting muscle you mean street-dancing skills.

Former B2K member and lead singer Omarion, whose name sounds like some sort of Islamic robot, plays David, a young street dancer with a passion for competition. His best friend is Elgin, played by Marques “MH” Houston, Omarion’s older brother and member of IMX.

Interestingly enough, the movie was directed by Chris Stokes, the former manager of B2K, who now manages only Omarion and MH. As such, it is certainly simply a coincidence that these two are provided starring roles in the movie that their manager directed and wrote.

David and Elgin spend all their days practicing and training with their crew for raucous street dance-offs. Their reputations as top street dancers are called into question, however, after they are routed by the crew of the villainous white-boy Wade, whose savage intensity and spiky haircut reminded me of Sonic the Hedgehog. Having lost their titles as kings of the dance-street, Elgin and David’s crew are forced to overcome numerous difficulties, staking everything on an ultimate final dance challenge that will prove once and for all which dance team reigns supreme.

To be fair, the cookie-cutter plot is a bit more complex than I’ve made it out to be, including shocking betrayals, gang violence, drug trafficking and a few more tidbits that aren’t simply recycled plot elements from “Bring It On.” There’s even a romantic subplot thrown in for Omarion’s character David, who rocks a pigtail-like hairstyle throughout the movie, apparently inspired by Pippi Longstocking.

David becomes attracted to Elgin’s younger sister, Liyah, and director Chris Stokes manages to buck teen-movie convention by casting a sassy female sidekick who is even hotter than the main love interest. Liyah’s wisecracking best friend is named Beautifull (that’s not a typo), and her over-the-top narcissism and catty commentary are one of the highlights of the movie.

My other favorite minor character was Elgin’s hilarious overacting “Big Momma” grandmother, who sniffs roses and hums to herself and isn’t afraid to hand out a butt-whooping when necessary.

Speaking of minor characters, “You Got Served” is riddled from start to finish with pseudo-celebrity cameos, who brighten up the movie, if only for the purposes of recalling where exactly you remember them from. Thus, while the important cameo roles belong to Steve Harvey as street-dance officiator, and multi-platinum artist Lil’ Kim as a celebrity judge, there are also surprising bit roles by random sitcom actors that are fun to remember. I picked out Jackée from “227″ and “Sister Sister,” Professor Oglevee from “The Parkers,” and the girl from the “21 Questions” video.

Unfortunately, most audience members above the age of 12 will need such random activities in order to sustain their interest towards the end of the film’s surprisingly protracted narrative. For example, through the course of the movie, I counted approximately 267 hip-hop handshakes and half-hugs. I assume the director included so many because really, how are we as an audience supposed to know if a character is entering or departing from a scene unless we see a hip-hop handshake and half-hug?

Despite the presence of several admittedly exhilarating and fun-to-watch dance sequences that are accompanied by well-chosen booming hip-hop tracks, the director overuses the high-energy dance scenes and ends up sapping the dramatic tension from the final dance-off. If Stokes had kept up the film’s early brisk pace, “You Got Served” would have been an enjoyable, if still terribly acted movie. Instead, the relentlessly lame plot elements and drawn-out after-school hokeyness push the B2K movie into the realm of the hilariously awful, but not into that rare cadre of films that are so bad they’re good.

The trailer accurately foreshadows the depth of the theatrical disaster, which fruitlessly struggles to achieve teen flick status. As you can deduce from the countless promos on MTV, “The Perfect Score” follows six teens motivated by diverse factors, who collaborate in an effort to steal the key to the SAT.

MTV Films doesn’t even bolster their latest release with a decent soundtrack.

Scarlett Johanssen dons a foot-high headless mask complete with attached bloody shoulders as she crawls across the floor of an office building. She sulks at the second-ranked student in her class, whining that the near-valedictorian is too perfect. She gives a Mariah-Carey look-a-like a peace sign then informs the barely dressed girl she means “p-i-e-c-e”.

I was sure by the end of “The Perfect Score” that I had read the credits wrong. Less than a month ago, Johanssen received a Oscar nomination for her work in “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” and received raving reviews for “Lost in Translation.” Could the same budding Hollywood star be spouting out lines a ninth-grader would reject?

She should have taken Tom Cruise’s advice that an actor is made by the roles they do not take rather than the roles they do. Instead, she’ll be regretting her contribution to “The Perfect Score” for a while.

Somehow Erika Christensen, who had a stellar performance as Michael Douglas’ drug-addicted daughter in “Traffic,” also was duped into “The Perfect Score.” Unfortunately she comes across even sillier and more tastelessly in her role.

The writing, while failing to dish out creativity, comic appeal or anything resembling action, succeeds in concealing both stars’ talent to the point where you could care less about the bumbling teenagers’ college aspirations.

The plot evokes sympathy from college-bound adolescents and the actors are hot enough to suffer through another cookie-cutter movie for those who have already endured the SAT trauma.

This justifies watching the first five minutes. After that, the movie quickly races downhill.

For instance, the most breathtaking action scene in the movie occurs when the movie’s token pothead drops his cell phone in a muddy puddle. But, alas! He saves it 30 seconds later. Earlier, one teen, covered only by a snorkel mask, almost gets caught by a security camera.

Fittingly, the funniest part of “The Perfect Score” is when the teen puts on the snorkel mask.

The movie seems to be experiencing a 90-minute identity crisis. The characters aren’t sexy, funny or dumb enough to encourage “The Perfect Score’s” classification in any of the normal genres. Some of the characters are scarily realistic and, consequently, awfully boring. The others are completely over the top, spitting out tediously constructed one-liners that trigger immediate eye-rolling.

And then there’s Roy. The writers really hit the jackpot with him. He seems to encompass all the stereotypes left over by the rest of the cast. Mentioned each half hour is Roy’s 0.0 GPA caused, the audience is made to think, solely by his heavy pot-smoking and absence of parental figures. Despite his inability to form sentences longer than four words, the Asian genius, Roy, surprises the group with his extensive mathematical grasp of quadratic equations and other “impossible” formulas on the SAT as well as his computer programming expertise. Did I mention he is a serious womanizer constantly fantasizing about hooking up?

By the end of the movie, the characters haven’t proven themselves likeable or hittable enough for their happy endings to be in the least bit interesting. Who cares which adolescent brat ends up kissing the other, or which overachiever doesn’t get into the Ivy of his choice? I’m just glad I’m not in high school again dealing with the characters’ superficial problems resolved by even more superficial means.

“The Perfect Score” ends up producing as much entertainment value as a “Dismissed” episode. And between the movie and one of the greasy singles on the reality show, I’d have to pick the latter.

New director Gavin O’Connor set his sights beyond the typical sports movie and aimed at creating a film that would delve into a deep character study of the infamous mad hockey scientist Herb Brooks, the real-life 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team coach. Rather than focusing on the underdog team that could, O’Connor’s “Miracle” looks intently at the inner workings of the hockey genius, as well as at the motivation behind his unmatched competitiveness and pursuit of excellence.

Kurt Russell is given the task of portraying this man of such deep complexity, who is in search of the gold medal he was robbed of 20 years ago in the 1960 Winter Olympics. This is not a standard Disney lead character — or a standard motion picture, for that matter. It is a painting of the tumultuous political and social times in the U.S. following the 1960s and 70s — a time when Americans are starving for a reason to believe in something tangible for their nation.

What makes this story so fascinating is that these hopes fall on the shoulders of a hockey team of 21-year-olds and a driven, unlikely hero of a coach.

By now, everyone should know the story of the 1980 hockey team that went on to win gold –- the story of an entourage of kids from Minnesota and Boston who came together in just a few short months to compete in the Olympics. To reach the pinnacle, the team had to go through the most powerful hockey force in the world –the Soviets. The Soviet team had been a unit for decades, even routing the best the NHL had to offer in exhibition games and winning the previous five Olympic gold medals. Needless to say, the cards were stacked against America’s boys.

O’Connor lets the story speak for itself. He turns his attention to Brooks. He shows the man’s incredible drive, austerity and demand for perfection as he molds a new style of hockey with these boys.

It simply cannot go unsaid that the reason Brooks’ character is so engaging, as well as the film as a whole, is due to a spectacular performance by Kurt Russell. He is Herb Brooks –from the mannerisms to the northern accent. You can see on Russell’s face that he has done his homework and truly wants to understand and convey to us what made Herb Brooks so irreplaceable.

“Miracle” uses many first-time actors to play the roles of the players. Consequently, the entire spotlight shines on Russell, and he shines right back. He carries the film with the same focus and vigor I like to think Brooks had for his sport.

O’Connor also filmed some great hockey action for the movie. It’s pure adrenaline, despite the fact the outcome of every game is already decided. There were even some bone-crunching hits that I was praying Disney would not gloss over, and my prayers were answered. Although the games are somewhat of a side note to the story of Herb Brooks and the political implications of the Winter Olympic Games, with the U.S. pitted against the “Evil Red Machine,” the hockey, the tryouts, the wind sprints and the goals are a joy to watch. And utilizing the voice talents of Al Michaels, the infamous voice of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, to commentate us through the matches was a stroke of genius.

An inherent negative comes with seeing a Disney film –it is a Disney film. Certain aspects of the story could have been portrayed more realistically in a medium with fewer constraints. The hockey could have been grittier and the players truer to how 21-year-olds would have handled themselves on and off the ice with such immense pressure resting upon them. I had the same feelings toward Disney’s “Remember the Titans,” in which a serious racial context was handled too light-heartedly when it was undoubtedly more charged with emotion in real life.

The formula between these two movies is noticeably similar –from the conflicting players in the beginning, to the stress placed upon the obsessed coach’s home life, to the nagging wife, to the assistant coach with a different style of leadership. Believe me, I could continue. But the context of the story with its international relevance and the poignancy of its unlikely heroes seem to take “Miracle” to the next level, preventing it from being a “Remember the Titans: On Ice.”

With Disney’s sometimes after-school-special style aside, this movie delivers a hat trick of emotion, excitement and inspiration as only a true story with substance like this one can.

“Miracle” is also one of the most patriotic movies to come to the silver screen. Not because of cheap flag waving and “U-S-A” chants (although there are plenty to go around), but because of the human spirit and unity associated with the United States in this film. I walked out of the theater positive that I was proud to be an American, despite our present day political and social turmoil. Even though this movie paints a pretty picture, I can only imagine what it felt like to see Herb Brooks provide that feeling to millions of Americans live in 1980.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, this week’s theme is Love. Much love for Gamespot, The Online Sun and Spong.com for news this week.

Love Doesn’t Come Cheap

A recent release from the Entertainment Software Association quantifies America’s love for games. Though politicians and media outlets focus on the popularity of violent video games, only five of the nearly 50 videogames selling more than 500,000 copies last year were rated Mature. In 2003, Teen-rated games claimed 30.5 percent of the total game market and Mature-rated games just 11.9 percent, down from 13.2 percent the year before. Console games sold for a combined $5.8 billion in the U.S. in 2003, up $300 million from 2002, but computer game sales dropped $200 million to $1.2 billion. On consoles, action games sold more than any other genre with 27.1 percent and strategy games were computer best-sellers, also with 27.1 percent.

Marvel Versus Madden?

Electronic Arts and Marvel Enterprises are feeling the corporate love. The EA development studio in British Columbia has already started work on an original series of fighting games pitting Marvel superheroes against all-new EA characters. Marvel has exclusive rights to market the EA characters worldwide in many media formats, including comic books. (Spong)

Not Mardi Gras, but Close Enough

Gamers still sore over the Tomb Raider Nude Code may delight in the first game from Top Heavy Studios, started by Jeff Spangenberg, founder of Metroid Prime developers Retro Studios. The Guy Game is a You Don’t Know Jack-style trivia contest, but replete with live-action video of buxom babes baring their breasts. In addition to multiple-choice questions, the popular drinking game “A**hole” intersperses rounds of four-player action (pun intended). The developers are currently looking for a publisher and hope to release the game for PC and at least one console this Spring.

No word on a cameo by Samus Aran. (Gamespot)

Home Runs in a Cricket-playing Country

Calling all pornographic voyeurs and control freaks. Gamers seeking an X-rated Sims need look no further than Singles: Flirt Up Your Life. The Online Sun recently broke news of the game from German developers Rotobee and distributed in Britain by Koch Media. Gameplay revolves around the apartment life of two characters, male or female, hetero- or homosexual, as players perform daily chores like taking out the trash and keeping the living room clean. If the apartment is not maintained, the characters’ love lives hit the rocks. The game hardly hesitates to display full frontal nudity, and the recorded soundtrack includes the “moans and groans” of intercourse.

Singles is looking at an almost guaranteed 18-rating from the British Board of Film Classification. The Board works closely with the European Leisure Software Publishers Association to limit sales of explicit material to minors.

For the Gamer Who Has Everything

Gamers tired of roses and candy will awaken deep, romantic passions when gifted Rules of Play: Fundamental Game Design, available now from MIT Press.

Granted, most gift-givers don’t link textbooks and true love, but this gift would stir the amorous desires of even the least romantic gamer. From videogames to board games to social games (think Mafia), Rules of Play is jam-packed with social and academic analysis of games and game culture.

The book is divided into three sections, each a separate perspective for interpreting games. The Rules section covers games from an engineering perspective with articulate definitions of the mathematical and systemic properties of games. Play covers the psychological and narrative perspective by analyzing the pleasurable, meaningful and simulative aspects of gameplay. The sociological perspective is examined in Culture, the final unit of the book. Culture covers games and their impact as constructs both mirroring and dictating rhetoric, resistance and environment. Rules of Play taps into a bevy of benchmark games and entertaining design anecdotes for practical examples of good and bad game design, as well as a handful of original, commissioned games designed by contemporary industry leaders.

The authors, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, are game designers themselves and have taught at universities including MIT, NYU and the Rhode Island School of Design.

Rules of Play establishes a practical, well-justified and cogent vocabulary for the dynamic and productive dialogue of game design. A great gift for any time of year.

Four out of five stars.

Send the Gamer a valentine at Gamer@cavalierdaily.com

The Virginia women’s basketball will travel to Atlanta tonight to take on rival Georgia Tech. The Cavaliers’ playoff hopes are still alive, but depend heavily on a strong conclusion to their 12-10 season. At 5-5 in the ACC, Virginia looks to ensure its 21st consecutive NCAA tournament bid. Tip-off time for this vital ACC match-up is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Virginia is presently riding high on a three-game winning streak, having defeated Georgetown, Maryland and Wake Forest. Before these three victories, the Cavaliers valiantly fought No. 15 North Carolina before falling to the Tar Heels 75-70. The Carolina game reintroduced junior forward Brandi Teamer to the line-up following a five game suspension. She scored her 1,000th career point in U-Hall during the match-up.

Teamer is Virginia’s leading scorer, at 11.8 points per game, and the only Cavalier averaging double-digits. Against Georgetown, Teamer recorded 10 second half points to lead Virginia to a 52-45 come-from-behind victory. LaTonya Blue was close behind Teamer with nine points.

“I think this win is really big,” Blue said after the Georgetown game. “G-town has played some tough teams — some ranked teams. I think winning this afternoon will help us with an NCAA bid.”

Though they are out of playoff contention with a 2-8 ACC record, the Yellow Jackets will look to stifle the progress of the Cavaliers. The 11-11 Georgia Tech squad features stand-out forward Fallon Stokes, who is averaging 17.2 points per game. With freshman coach MaChelle Joseph at the helm, the Yellow Jackets are coming off a 40 point battering by No. 4 Duke.

With six ACC games remaining, the Cavaliers look to recreate their end-of-season heroics of last year when they wrapped up ACC play with a 7-1 run. Two of these final six games, however, come against top 25 teams in Duke and Carolina. Presently, Virginia is ranked 4th in the ACC behind Duke, Carolina and Maryland. In the nine-team conference, however, there are five teams within one victory of each other. Virginia is one of the teams vying for position. Veteran coach Debbie Ryan said that in order to move up in the standings, the Cavaliers must learn to put together two quarters of solid play.

“We have to have a little better start in certain positions,” Ryan said. “Our post players have to start better, our point guards have to start better and we can’t turn over the ball.”

Following Thursday’s road trip, Virginia will return to action at U-Hall against N.C. State. The Cavaliers will host the Wolfpack Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.

Virginia softball begins the 2004 season Friday with unfinished business to take care of. Following a 10-2 defeat to Florida State in the finals of the ACC Championships last season, the Cavaliers enter their 2004 campaign determined to claim the conference title that has eluded them since 1994.

After missing the regional tournament for the last three seasons, Virginia must win the ACC championship or receive an at-large bid to make the tournament field this year. This year’s class of seniors in particular is determined to make the most of their last shot at post-season play.

“When we came to winter workouts, the first thing we said is that our season ends in July,” senior captain Heather Field said. “Our main goal is to make it to regionals. Whether we make it further and into the World Series, we just know we are going to make it to regionals.”

Field and fellow senior captain Hannah Owings lead a team that will rely heavily on the contribution of its younger players. With only three seniors on the team, a highly-touted recruiting class will be counted on to log significant innings from the first game forward.

“This first-year class is very strong,” coach Cheryl Sprangel said. “They are strong in numbers, but also strong in potential and ability.”

The incoming players are not the only ones garnering attention this offseason. Coach Sprangel was recently named to the Toledo Varsity Hall of Fame where she coached for 14 years prior to joining the Cavaliers. Since moving to Virginia, Sprangel’s teams have compiled a 234-157 (.598) record.

Despite Virginia’s high expectations for the upcoming season, the players and coaches realize that they have both strengths to emphasize and weaknesses that still need to be improved. With three of the four infield spots filled by returning starters who perform well at the plate, the Cavaliers will hope to neutralize their competition’s offense by simply out-hitting them.

“Our biggest strength is we can rip the ball,” Owings said. “We are going to score a lot of runs. A lot of numbers we put up in the fall were baseball scores, not softball scores.”

In addition to hitting, the Cavaliers think they have one of the most cohesive units in recent years. Team chemistry was stressed by the players as well as by Sprangel as a component that should set this team apart from its opponents.

“Our team chemistry is the best it has ever been in my four years here,” Field said. “Our gel is wonderful. It’s nice to be on a team where everyone gets along. We are all kind of there for each other and we all enjoy playing with each other.”

The Cavaliers’ strengths will surely be put to the test on their west coast road trip over Spring Break. Facing perennially-ranked teams such as California and Fresno State, key victories would allow for Virginia to gain the national reputation that they have traditionally lacked in the eyes of the regional selection committee.

Softball’s first opportunity to put their newfound closeness to the test will be this weekend at the Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C. With the ACC championships held in mid-May and regionals after that, Virginia is looking forward to a very long, and very successful, 2004 season.

The University of Toledo will induct Cavalier head softball coach Cheryl Sprangel into its Varsity ‘T’ Hall of Fame Feb. 13, at The Pinnacle in Maumee, Ohio.

Sprangel, who is one of nine inductees, served as the Rockets’ head coach for 14 years from 1984 to 1997, where she posted a 460-355-1 record. After taking over the club in its fifth year of existence, Sprangel transformed the losing program into a success story. She had winning records in 12 of her 14 seasons at Toledo and led the team to MAC championships in 1985, 1989 and 1992. She was also named MAC Coach of the Year each season her squad won the conference title. Her teams qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1989 and 1992 and advanced to the College Softball World Series in 1989.

In her six seasons at Virginia, Sprangel has posted a 234-157 overall record with a .598 winning percentage. Her career record of 694-512-1, places her at 19th for victories among current Division I softball coaches.

You could call them crazy. Really. They wouldn’t mind. In fact, after spending the evening in a place where the notoriety of the fan base rivals that of the team, (and the team is No.1 Duke) I’m fairly confident when I say that the inhabitants of Cameron Indoor Stadium would be flattered. After getting the distinct pleasure of hearing their witty commentary and feeling their overwhelming presence — and I really did feel it, inches away — I’m inclined to agree with them that “crazy” is more of an accolade than an insult.

But in all honesty, there’s no way that you cannot give the Cameron Crazies credit where its so obviously due. When they yell “Our House,” you know that it really is theirs. The passion is potent and it’s not shocking that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski mentioned their contribution to the Blue Devils’ win within the first two minutes of his post-game comments.

Right along with Shelden Williams’ domination and J.J. Redick’s drive, Krzyzewski credited the screamers in the stands.

In the opening stanza of last night’s game, I may have questioned Krzyzewski’s attribution of power to this aura of insanity. I may have scoffed at how much a several minute long period of sustained yelling and two halves of choreographed cheers, chants and jeers could affect a basketball game.

Sure, the Blue Devils could have been feeding off this fire as they came out dominating the Cavaliers.But it also could have been the result of the fact that they were clearly superior players.

Chris Duhon is nothing if not smooth, and Luol Deng has broken out as one of the key factors in Duke’s success. What did Virginia have to match that? Yeah,Todd Billet is a workhorse and Elton Brown was turning in a performance that was better than any of recent record.

But Pete Gillen himself admitted that Duke is simply a superior team.

Maybe it was just skill and athleticism that gave the Blue Devils such drive. Maybe that could explain why the Cavaliers seemed like they had spent the bus ride listening to Kenny G and relaxing while the Blue Devils came out with fire, poised and ready to give the Cavaliers a “Welcome to the Jungle.”

There just wasn’t a fire under the Cavaliers’ bench and Virginia became easy fodder for a hungry crowd of Cameron Crazies.

But what convinced me that there is some chemical, electrical power in this passionate desire that overwhelms an arena in which every seat has someone perched on its edge is that, as the game wore on, the craziness even wore off on the Cavaliers, pushing them to within points of the No.1 ranked Blue Devils. Quite a feat for the downtrodden Cavaliers, but proving that they are capable of achieving beyond their own — or anyone else’s — expectations.

While at times the Cavaliers looked like a group of underachievers with a slack attitude, there were also times when they amazed even themselves.

T.J.Bannister received his first start of the season and went after Duke’s Duhon like a little brother with something to prove. Elton Brown shook the chip that seemed to reside on his shoulder throughout the opening stanza and carried some of the slack that appeared when Jason Clark — and his considerable size — ceased to be available to the Cavaliers early in the second half.

While Virginia still suffered from an attention span that seems to max out at five minutes and eventually saw their position fade from one within striking distance to a near-20 point loss, they took something else out of this game. It proved that its not that the Cavaliers can’t step it up and play with single-minded focus.

In his post-game press conference, Pete Gillen articulated the widespread qualm of earlier games — that despite their ability and potential, for some reason, the Cavaliers just can’t find the passion or the drive to maintain a high level of play for more than six-minute bursts.

DURHAM, N.C. — With 13:21 to go in the game, Virginia forward Derrick Byars took a J.R. Reynolds swing pass and coolly sank an open three from the top of the key to cap a 10-2 run and bring the Cavaliers within three to 57-54. But Duke survived the second-half scare in calm fashion, turning the tables with a 17-5 run of its own en route to a 93-75 drubbing of the Cavaliers.

The run by Duke (21-1, 10-0 ACC) came to a crescendo thanks to a pair of spectacular assists from Chris Duhon on consecutive possessions. First, Duhon flipped up a well-timed pass to Luol Deng for an alley-oop, erupting the 9,314 fans packed into Cameron. A defensive stop and Duke fast break resulted in a behind-the-back pass from Duhon to Sheldon Williams for a powerful dunk, extending the lead to 15 and effectively sealing the game.

With the loss, Virginia (12-9, 2-8) has now lost five in a row and seven of their last nine. Junior forward Elton Brown paced the Cavaliers with 24 points on 9-18 shooting.

Virginia’s other offensive star was Reynolds. The freshman guard scored 16 points on 4-7 shooting on three-point field goals and added three assists without turning the ball over.

“He made every big basket,” coach Pete Gillen said of Reynolds. “He had poise and played with a big heart. I thought he was spectacular tonight in a tough environment.”

Virginia controlled the opening tip, and the ball soon found its way into Reynolds’ hands for a quick three 17 seconds into the game. In retaliation, Duke’s J.J. Redick seemed determined to put the game out of reach, going on a personal 8-0 run that included two three-point baskets.

The Cavaliers soon narrowed the lead to nine, but Blue Devil guard Daniel Ewing responded in kind, drilling three-pointers on three straight times up the floor.

Virginia switched to a 3-2 zone in the closing minutes of the first half to put more pressure on Duke’s torrid outside shooters. Ewing and Redick poured in 25 first-half points on 8-13 shooting and sank all six of their free throw attempts.

Duke’s number one post threat, Williams, took advantage of the emphasis Virginia put on perimeter defense, dominating inside to the tune of 19 points and 12 rebounds. He added four blocks on the defensive end in his 34 minutes of playing time.

Williams stepped up in the second half, scoring 13, in part thanks to Virginia’s persistent foul trouble. The Cavaliers’ best defender, Jason Clark, was whistled for two quick fouls early in the second half and fouled out with 17:22 left in the game.

“I didn’t know he had his fourth,” Gillen said of Clark’s foul situation. His fourth “was a quick one down at the other end. I didn’t know who they called it on.”

Byars soon followed suit, recording his fifth foul with 11:38 to go.

Forced to shift to a smaller lineup, the Cavaliers had difficulty playing interior defense, yielding 38 paints in the paint and notching only 15 defensive rebounds compared to the 14 Duke grabbed on offense.

Virginia’s style of defense dictated Duke’s offense, but the Cavaliers were simply choosing their own poison.

“We didn’t play great defense inside, and when we did, we didn’t play great ‘D’ outside,” forward Gary Forbes said.

Gillen employed Virginia’s seventh different starting lineup in as many games. Devin Smith’s ailing back kept him out of the lineup for the second time in three games.

Virginia now falls to 47-103 in 150 all-time meetings with Duke and has lost 18 of the last 20.