Nothing really worked for No. 11 Virginia in its final road game of the season.
Suffering a 77-51 loss at the hands of No. 1 Duke, the Cavaliers (25-4,13-3 ACC) could not get anything working offensively — or defensively, for that matter — as the Blue Devils (27-2, 15-1 ACC) extended their head-to-head record against Virginia to 127-54 and 61-12 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Making only 29 percent of attempted field goals, Virginia bookended the game with fits of poor shooting that allowed Duke to steadily grow its margin. The Blue Devils collapsed on the Cavaliers in the paint, allowing for some open or lightly-contested three-pointers, which Virginia ultimately could not convert. Taking 35 shots from beyond the arc, Virginia only made seven.
“You have to make shots,” Coach Ryan Odom said. “When you get in that situation, when the balls kick back out. We had some open ones that did not go down, that maybe would have given us a little bit more confidence.”
Opening the game 2-12 from the field, the Cavaliers quickly fell behind, as sophomore guard Isaiah Evans — who had 17 points against Virginia last season — kickstarted the Blue Devils offense with a trio of made three-pointers in his first four attempts. Finishing the game with 19, Evans led the contest in scoring, making five shots from distance.
Duke’s physicality and size proved, at times, to be too much for the Cavaliers, as the Blue Devils outrebounded Virginia 19-13 in the first half. The Cavaliers, who have grabbed just under 40 percent of available offensive rebounds on the season, could not consistently find second chances at the basket, only bringing in 23 percent through the first 20 minutes.
“I think we got to go a little harder,” said graduate forward Devin Tills. “I think there's times where we just let their physicality dictate us to not [go] and rebound.”
At the half, in front of a raucous Cameron crowd that understood the collision course that the two teams’ winstreaks had placed them on, Duke led 41-26. Freshman forward Cameron Boozer and Evans combined for 25 of the Blue Devils’ points — the former doing so on free throws alone.
Neither team got off to a strong start in the second, though Virginia was able to generate some momentum by drawing three early non-shooting fouls from Boozer and freshman wing Dame Sarr. Freshman forward Thijs De Ridder and graduate guard Dallin Hall were both able to make a three-pointer, each cutting the lead down a notch, but a 6-0 Duke run broke any Virginia momentum.
As the second half progressed, the Blue Devils’ lead steadily grew. The Cavaliers could never get more than four unanswered points, while Duke continued to make baskets — reaching a 21-point lead off an Evans dunk with just over 14 minutes left in the game.
Pushing the pace in transition and taking more shots in an attempt to jumpstart its offense, Virginia continued to struggle to make baskets at a consistent clip. The well fully dried up after a two-pointer from freshman center Johann Grünloh, as the Cavaliers proceeded to make only two more field goals on the game, going scoreless for over five minutes after two made free throws by graduate guard Malik Thomas at the 9:33 mark.
With Virginia scoring a season-low 51 points on the game, no Cavalier other than De Ridder had points in the double digits. The win secured an ACC regular season title for Duke, and thus the top seed in the conference tournament March 10-14.
After the game, Odom was quick to sing the Blue Devils’ praise — noting especially the interior defense of Coach Jon Scheyer’s squad. Duke is the first team currently in the top 15 that Virginia has faced this year — the Cavaliers now being 1-2 against other currently ranked opponents.
“Naturally, you're going to take punches,” Odom said. “This is a competitive sport and we punch people [and] they punch us. They punched us a lot more than we punched them today. And that's what it is. And so you’ve got to cover yourself, you’ve got to make sure you're not getting hit as much, and you move on to the next thing.”
Next, the Cavaliers will return to John Paul Jones Arena Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. matchup against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons (14-14, 5-10 ACC) have had an inconsistent season so far and struggle defensively, but rarely turn the ball over and score well from the line and inside of the arc. They are led by sophomore guard Juke Harris — a 6-foot-7 point guard who makes nearly 58 percent of all of his two-point attempts and averages 21.7 points per game. That game will be streamed on ACC Network.
Read More
Six strong from Zatkowski propels Cavaliers past VCU in 5-3 win
By Stephen O'Dea | 21 hours agoFollowing an abbreviated game against George Washington courtesy of an 11-0 run-rule victory, the Cavaliers took the field on Friday afternoon with eyes set on another series sweep as they hosted VCU for the second weekend series of the year.
Men’s lacrosse looks to reclaim the Doyle Smith Cup against No. 13 Johns Hopkins Saturday
By Sam Chun | 23 hours agoThis year figures to be another heavyweight clash, as Virginia boasts a high-powered offense averaging just under 17 goals a contest, while Johns Hopkins has shown to have the stingier defense.
No. 11 Virginia gears up for heavyweight clash with No. 1 Duke
By Joe Schwiesow | 23 hours ago“We're just going to do what we always do, and that's get ready for the next one,” Odom said after the NC State win.
