Duke never trailed in defeating Virginia 59-49 in Saturday night’s ACC title game.
The Blue Devils beat Virginia at their own game, a suffocating defense, a grind-it out offense and timely foul shooting.
“I think they're a good defensive team,” Virginia’s Tony Bennett acknowledged. “They've really come together that way. Their length and their athleticism was real, and I think at times it sped us up, and we were at times a little bit uncharacteristic or a bit rushed.”
No one was more rushed than their All-ACC point guard Kihei Clark, who missed eight of nine shots from the field and turned it over three times, against one assist.
Jeremy Roach led everyone with 23 points, hitting both of his 3-pointers and all seven of his foul shots. Tournament MVP Kyle Filipowski added 20 points and 10 rebounds but every Devil contributed to a defense that held the Cavaliers to 33% shooting, 23% (4-17) from beyond the arc and forced a dozen turnovers.
The title is Duke’s 22nd ACC Tournament title, more than any other program and keeps Duke’s winning streak intact, at nine straight. Duke is now 26-8 and awaits Selection Sunday with as much momentum as any team in the country.
First-year coach Jon Scheyer joined Duke’s Vic Bubas (1960) and North Carolina’s Bill Guthridge (1998) as the only coaches to win the ACC Tournament in the first go around.
Virginia’s Pack-Line defense is designed to do a number of things, wear down opposing offenses, slow the game down but at its most basic level, minimize baskets near or at the rim.
So, it’s telling that Duke took a 6-0 lead in the opening three minutes, Roach, then Derek Lively II, then Roach again scoring in the lane.
“Really before the game, he [Scheyer] said go out and take it, really be aggressive, don't let them get comfortable or anything like that,” Roach said. “We wanted to be the aggressors the first four minutes, and I kind of wanted to set the tone for this game, and I think I did.”
“Yeah, I mean, we wanted to play the way we play,” Filipowski added. “I mean, our strength is playing inside-out and attacking on the closeouts, Jeremy and Tyrese [Proctor] did a really good job of that when we got inside and kicked it out. We just wanted to play the way we were and make a statement, of course, as we always do on the inside and on the glass.”
We all know the backstory of Duke’s regular-season game with Virginia, especially how Filipowski’s scoreless Saturday ended.
It took him less than five minutes to score his first points against Virginia, inside of course. And a few minutes later a 3-pointer, putting Duke up 11-5.
Duke led 13-5, 15-7, 17-9 and then 22-11, when Filipowski converted an offensive rebound, with 2:23 left in the half.
But Virginia’s defense may have been bent but it wasn’t broken. Duke scored only two more points in the first half and Virginia closed to 24-17.
Duke had Virginia on the ropes after the first 5:25 of the second half. Roach scored eight points in that span. The second of his two 3-pointers put Duke up 36-22 and the largely pro-Duke crowd smelled blood in the water.
But Lively missed two foul shots and Lively, Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor missed at the rim. Virginia got a weird loose-ball 3-point play, Duke started sending them to the foul line and an Isaac McKneely 3-pointer made it 38-32, with 8:34 left, plenty of time to complete the comeback.
Proctor didn’t have much of a shooting game. He only made one field goal. But it came at a great time, a baseline jumper off a great Filipowski feed and Duke was back up 41-32, with 8:04 left.
Filipowski then scored inside and the lead was back in double digits.
For all of its many virtues Virginia basketball is not built for coming back from big deficits. Duke went into clock-management mode and they weren’t perfect. Some turnovers, some bad fouls, Filipowski missing the first end of the bonus and the lead was down to 53-49, with 46 seconds left.
Not a problem.
Duke had Jeremy Roach and Virginia did not.
“He's always come up clutch,” Filipowski said of Roach “and there's times where he hasn't, but we've gotten his back. He had a turnover late in the game which gave them a fast break and cut the lead down, but we told him we had his back and we were just telling him to slow down, you'll be good. And eventually he got a few more plays where he made it up and helped us out.”
Roach drew a foul and converted both foul shots. 55-49. McKneely missed a 3, Roach grabbed the rebound and made two more foul shots and it was 57-49, a three-possession lead. Another missed three and Mitchell closed out the scoring with two more foul shots.
Duke made seven of eight foul shots in the final minute and didn’t have a turnover for the game’s final seven possessions, despite fierce Virginia pressure.
Scheyer summed it up.
“To share that together, going through this for the first time, and for the regular season to end this way with winning the tournament championship is really special. Along the way -- I'll tell these guys if we can ever get together, but just enjoy the wins along the way. Winning a championship is a special thing, so I want to enjoy this tonight. I want these guys to enjoy it. We'll figure out where we're going tomorrow and worry about that then.”
How sweet it is!
What a championship run & payback for the no call. I’ve fallen in love with this talented, tough, selfless and determined young squad who have grown enormously this last month. Coach S has done a spectacular job with the world watching his every move. What a 1st year as HC and hope he leads us for many decades. Flip & Roach reminded me of Laettner & Hurley- strong backs and complete refusal to lose. Let the Madness begin & Go Devils!!! Cheers to All!