Jay Huff, Mamadi Diakite Help Unranked Virginia Upset Tre Jones, No. 7 Duke

No. 7 Duke suffered its third defeat in four games in a 52-50 loss at Virginia on Saturday. 

It's the sixth loss of the season for the Blue Devils—their fifth in conference play—and knocked them out of a three-way tie for the ACC lead. 

Duke had a chance to go ahead with 40 seconds left in the game and trailing by one. But head coach Mike Krzyzewski let his players slow the offense, leading to a jump ball with the possession arrow favoring Virginia and 15.8 seconds remaining.

After the Blue Devils immediately fouled on the inbounds play, the Cavaliers missed the front end of a one-and-one, which gave Duke one last chance for the tie. It nearly did so when Vernon Carey Jr. tried to pump-fake past Jay Huff, only to get stuffed at the rim. 

It was a perfect end to the day for Huff, who finished with 15 points, 10 blocks and nine rebounds. 

A last-second heave by Tre Jones fell off the side of the rim as UVA survived.

Mamadi Diakite tallied 14 points and five rebounds while Duke's Jones and Carey each poured in 17 points. The Blue Devils shot just 30.5 percent from the floor as the Cavs defense stifled one of the country's top teams. 

Saturday marked the third win over a ranked opponent this season for Virginia, which had already taken down No. 7 North Carolina and No. 5 Florida State this season. While UVA's tournament resume was already in solid form, the victory over Duke adds another signature win for the reigning champions. 

For that, the Cavs can thank Huff, who put together one of the best games of his career. Before Saturday, Huff hadn't scored 15 or more points since a mid-January meeting with Georgia Tech. That game also saw the junior post a career high with six blocks—a number he blew past against the Blue Devils.   

No block was bigger than the 10th and final one of Huff's night, which essentially sealed the victory, as Carey's shot had no chance.

"Really happy for Jay," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said afterward. "We needed everything he brought. The timing and the length, we needed it all."

Virginia and Duke and tied for second in the ACC with two games to play. Louisville and Florida State remain tied for first with the Seminoles falling to unranked Clemson on Saturday.