Duke Beats Up UVA, Readies For Maryland Showdown

Earlier today I wrote an article discussing the dangers of a trap game, and how Duke vs. UVA could very well be one...  Could was the operative word, and luckily it was very far off.

Duke made the road trip to Virginia on Sunday night knowing that their season still hangs in the balance.  An upset loss to UVA would crush their NCAA #1 seed dreams, and severely hurt their chances at breezing to an ACC Regular Season Title.

Having one of the best d1 coaches of all time doesn't hurt, and he had this team ready to play from the get go.

Duke was never in trouble in this one at all.  They led this one from tip to tip and the final score ended up being 67-49.

The big three didn't all show up but they weren't all needed.  The big two of Jon Scheyer (20 points, 5 steals) and Kyle Singler (21 points) did enough with some help from the rest of the team.  Nolan Smith chipped in with 5 points, well below his season average.

The rebounding machine Brian Zoubek came back to earth as he struggled with foul trouble.  He didn't even attempt a shot but pulled down 4 boards.

The Cavs struggled to find a scorer outside of Jerome Meyinsse who was the teams only player who scored in double digits (21 points, 7 rebounds).

A combination of solid Duke D and a poor 31% shooting on the night kept the Cavs well out of reach in this game.  This UVA team does not have the talent of Duke, and on paper this game played out the way you would have expected.

Up next for Duke is their most important ACC game remaining (in terms of meaning).  They take on Maryland on March 3rd up north in the home of Vasquez.  That game will be for the ACC Regular Season Title.  Maryland is one of the hottest teams in the nation and will more than likely join Duke as the only ACC teams ranked in the new top 25 polls on Monday.

Maryland is a very tough challenge for Duke, especially in one of Vasquez's last games.  It has all the makings of a game of the year, and will have a true tournament atmosphere.