Duke vs. Virginia: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season
After a difficult loss to Notre Dame and the dismissal of Rasheed Sulaimon, there were few teams in the country that needed a win more than Duke.
That is exactly what the Blue Devils got Saturday when they walked into Virginia and handed the Cavaliers their first loss of the season to the tune of 69-63. The Blue Devils drilled a number of three-pointers down the stretch and overcame a nine-point deficit in the final minutes.
It shocked the Virginia crowd that was looking for its team to create some separation atop the ACC standings.
Jeff Borzello of ESPN passed along an encouraging note for Duke fans, via KPI Sports, while Chad Lykins of 247Sports noted that it was yet another impressive win for Mike Krzyzewski's squad:
Tyus Jones led the way for Duke with 17 points, four assists and four rebounds and also drilled the most important three-pointer of the game in the final minute. Quinn Cook and Justise Winslow added 15 apiece, while Malcolm Brogdon spearheaded the Virginia attack with 17 points and six rebounds.
Duke Basketball noted that the game got off to a slow offensive start, which was likely fine with a Virginia squad that prefers a deliberate tempo:
"Bricks all over the place. Both teams shoot 1 for their first 7. Winslow lays one in on the fast break to make it 4-2.
— Duke Basketball (@dukebasketball) February 1, 2015"
One thing that did jump out during the initial minutes after Duke took an early 8-4 lead was the passing of Jahlil Okafor, as Matt Norlander and Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports both pointed out. He does so many other things well that it is easy to overlook his passing, but he consistently finds his open teammates when double-teams come his way:
"Jahlil Okafor has made three terrific, terrific passes already.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 1, 2015"
Despite the home-court advantage for the Cavaliers, the Blue Devils controlled the early tempo by pushing the pace. They took a 17-11 lead in the first 10 minutes, largely because of that tempo, as ESPN's Jay Williams and Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton both acknowledged:
Duke's game plan was clearly to get the ball and go, which forced Virginia out of its comfort zone and gave the Blue Devils a 20-13 lead. It also helped that Winslow got off to a fast start, as Stephen Wiseman noted:
Duke maintained its lead, and Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis and NBC Sports' Rob Dauster commented on its attacking style:
However, the Cavaliers cut the deficit back to 24-22 after the under-four-minute timeout in the first half, largely because they were limiting Okafor, via Adam Rowe of 247Sports:
The two teams traded baskets down the stretch of the first half, and the Blue Devils took a 26-25 lead into intermission. The Student Section noted that the deficit really wasn't much of a concern for the Cavaliers considering how most of the first half unfolded:
Virginia coach Tony Bennett probably wasn't thrilled with the pace of the first half given his pregame comments, according to The Associated Press, via Fox Sports: "It's still the same mindset: Will you be faithful to the things that have gotten you there? It doesn't change. Nothing changes. All of a sudden, you don't become someone you're not. That would be fool's gold. That would be a big mistake."
The Cavaliers returned to their swarming style of defense in the initial minutes of the second half and took a 32-28 lead. Rowe noted that Virginia came out of the locker room with more energy, while Duke Basketball pointed out the Blue Devils had more to worry about than the score:
The Cavaliers kept the momentum into the first television timeout of the second half largely because of their frustrating defense, as Dauster and Laura Keeley of The News & Observer both acknowledged:
While Virginia often is praised for its defense, it was the offense that was getting to the rim with consistency in the early minutes of the second half. After multiple layups, the Cavaliers jumped out to a 39-30 lead.
The Blue Devils tried to counter with a zone defense, but it didn't really work in the early going, via Hamilton:
Virginia extended its lead to 11 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, which was more of a problem for Duke than it normally would be against another team, as Davis said:
To the Blue Devils' credit, they closed the gap to eight going into the under-eight-minute timeout, but it still felt almost insurmountable against the swarming Virginia defense. Peter Bukowski of Sports Illustrated provided a timely analogy for the Cavaliers on that end of the floor:
It may have felt that way, but Okafor had other ideas. The Duke big man scored two consecutive baskets and then dished off a beautiful assist to Matt Jones to cut the lead to 49-47 with six minutes remaining. Vecenie was certainly impressed:
"Whew. That pass from Okafor. Damn.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 1, 2015"
Virginia responded as good teams always do, though, and hit a three-pointer and drew what could have been a game-changing flagrant foul from Winslow when he grabbed a Cavaliers player trying to run down the floor. Hamilton noted that Virginia's style of play often drives opponents to make mistakes, and that is exactly what happened to Winslow:
When the sequence was over, it was 56-47 Virginia.
However, Duke battled back to cut the lead to three at the under-four timeout and set the stage for a dramatic finish.
Out of the break, the Blue Devils hit two three-pointers and converted on a two to tie the game at 63 before Quinn Cook drilled an astronomically important three with just over a minute remaining. Suddenly, the score was 66-63 Duke, and the crowd was stunned.
While the shooting was what put Duke ahead, the defense deserved some credit too, as Vecenie acknowledged:
"Coach K deserves some credit for mixing and matching defenses. Giving a whole lot of different looks.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 1, 2015"
Duke had a chance to close the game out with 10 seconds left and a three-point lead, and that is exactly what it did. Naturally, Jones drilled a cold-blooded shot from distance to continue the three-pointer theme in the final minutes.
Borzello said it best:
It was the fifth three-pointer that Duke hit in the final four-and-a-half minutes, which was ultimately the difference. Virginia could not pull off a miracle in the final seconds, and the undefeated dream came to a crashing end.
The Blue Devils won 69-63.
What's Next?
Virginia will be playing in unfamiliar territory when it next takes the floor Monday.
It will be the first game the Cavaliers play this season with a loss, and they have to travel to Chapel Hill to do so. The North Carolina Tar Heels are also coming off an emotional loss Saturday (in overtime to Louisville), so both teams really need a win to bolster their chances at the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament.
As for the victorious Blue Devils, they return home to play Georgia Tech on Wednesday in a game that they should win if we simply go by the talent on paper.
There was plenty of emotion on display from Duke in the final minutes against an outstanding Virginia squad, so Coach K will have to get his team ready to play again in a few short days.
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