DURHAM, N.C.
When your opponent scores 104 points in an ACC game, chances are slim you're going to be on the winning end of the contest. Chances aren't much better on the road when the opponent crosses the 100-point mark. But when you give up 104 in Cameron Indoor Stadium, it's damn near impossible. While the Virginia men's basketball team played an impressive game on the offensive end of the court, they looked liked deer caught in headlights on defense, allowing Duke to shoot 50 percent from the field in their 104-93 victory over the Cavaliers last night. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
In the Pete Gillen era the Cavaliers have struggled on the road against ACC opponents (1-7 last season), especially on the defensive end. The Blue Devils shot 9-15 from the three-point arc, and Virginia couldn't stop freshman J.J. Redick, who scored a Duke freshman record 34 points last night.
"We simply couldn't stop J.J. Redick," coach Pete Gillen said. "He was amazing. We recruited him and couldn't get him, and he had a big game against us. We knew he was a tremendous player, especially shooting the ball from the outside. The bottom line is that we just couldn't defend for most of the night."
The fact that Duke only missed three of 40 free throws in a game that was marred by fouls didn't help matters for the Cavaliers. In a game that was eerily similar to the Maryland loss at home last season -- a game that Virginia should have won -- the Blue Devils wouldn't and couldn't miss a free throw, with a third of their points coming from the stripe. While the game was called extremely closely by the officials -- both teams combined to
shoot 78 free throws on the night -- Virginia couldn't stop Duke's penetration to the basket all night, which often led to a foul and a couple of free points for Duke.
"It was a closely officiated game all night," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I was proud of how our guys performed at the free throw line, because we had been struggling from there of late. We beat a very, very good team in Virginia, and this game was very important for us. Virginia is a great basketball team and this was a great test for us."
While last night's loss disappoints Cavalier faithful, there certainly are plenty of positives found beyond the horrendous defense. Sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer continues to improve -- he scored 12 points, pulled down six rebounds, and dished out five assists while committing only two turnovers. Senior Travis Watson, who scored 26 points, also had another big night for the Cavaliers, though he only grabbed five rebounds on the night, a season low. The fact that Virginia stuck around for the entire game is quite encouraging. In Cameron Indoor Stadium, the most hostile environment in collegiate sports, Virginia teams during the last five seasons would have folded up after Duke's hot shooting start in the first half. When Duke began its run in the second half, a Blue Devil tradition, the Cavaliers had answer after answer. Unfortunately, Duke had too much punch on the offensive end.
"I am proud of the way our team played," Gillen said. "This was the best game they have played on the road this season, but we just couldn't get the win. We gave it all we had, and that's all we can do."
Considering Duke only has lost four games in the past four seasons in Cameron, last night's game could be described as a "moral victory." But as Gillen said, and everyone knows, moral victories mean absolutely nothing on Selection Sunday, and if the Cavaliers want to reach the NCAA tournament, they simply must shore up their defense on the road. And that needs to start against Clemson, yet another "must win" for the Cavaliers.
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