Virginia Passes Test In Loss
There were plenty of chances for Virginia to win in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in 15 tries, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Yet again, the Crazies vanquished another eager foe. The scoreboard showed 61-58 in Duke’s favor.
For the Cavaliers, Cameron was no ordinary basketball court. It was a proving ground. They passed the test.
Mike Scott and Jontel Evans both had clean looks at three’s in the final moments, but neither could come up with a bucket to send the game to overtime. By losing so narrowly in the single most venomous road environment in the ACC, if not the country, Virginia proved it’s not like most of the conference. In a league full of mediocre to average-at-best teams, Virginia is a cut above that group. North Carolina and Duke have been the only locks to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s time to add the Cavaliers to that group.
Virginia’s defense was suffocating, as always. Duke shot just 25 percent from the three-point line, it’s second lowest mark of the season (the lowest in a win). The Cavaliers held Duke to 20 points below its season average. With the exception of a patented Blue Devils’ run to open the second half, the game was played at Virginia’s pace.
As vital as Virginia’s defense was, it would have meant nothing without Scott. If he wasn’t the front-runner for ACC Player of the Year before Thursday night, he is now. He scored 16 of Virginia’s 32 first-half points as the Cavaliers took a four-point lead into halftime, and finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. Containing him was improbable; stopping him was impossible. He controlled the paint against a deep and talented Duke front line. He showed his range with a three-pointer at the end of the first half. He’s by no means a lock to take home the honors as the league’s best player, but he’s certainly emerged as the mid-season favorite.
This was an extremely important win for the Blue Devils, who were reeling after two subpar performances. A loss at Temple and a narrow escape at Georgia Tech exposed any lingering weaknesses of the Blue Devils. Namely, their inability to contain athletic guards. On paper, Virginia doesn’t have the personnel that is Duke’s kryptonite. No dominant guards that can penetrate, an offense that wants to slow the pace down to a near-halt and revolves around a post player.
The Blue Devils had their hands full anyway. It was just the second time in 16 years that they shot worse than 50 percent from the foul line at home. They shot 8-of-19, which was significantly aided by Mason Plumlee’s 2-for-10 performance. His difficulties at the foul line are going to haunt the Blue Devils at some point.
Even in a game that wasn’t their best effort, the Blue Devils needed a win over a quality opponent like Virginia to break out of their rut. They aren’t the type of team that’s going to blow opponents away nearly at will like North Carolina, anything less than 12 wins in ACC play would be a massive disappointment.
For one night, it was like old times again. The ACC took center stage in the college basketball universe for a game other than UNC against Duke. The battle lived up to, and even exceeded the hype. There won’t be any more nights like this one for some time to come. It was nice to enjoy it while it lasted.
LINKS
Former Virginia player James Johnson has decided to transfer to San Diego State. Johnson attended high school in the area as a junior and senior.
Boston College pulled off a mild upset Thursday, beating Clemson 59-57. BC Interruption recaps the win.
Is it time for Florida State to fire Leonard Hamilton? Eric Todoroff of the Tallahassee Democrat thinks it is. I couldn’t disagree more.
TWEET OF THE DAY(From BC Hysteria)
