WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When J.J. Redick has an off day, it usually spells trouble for the depth-deficient Duke Blue Devils.
But when Redick's picture-perfect threes took a sour leap from the bottom of the net to the back of the rim Friday night, Lee Melchionni didn't get a whiff of danger, he smelled an opportunity.
The junior forward led Duke with 16 points as the eventual champion Blue Devils routed Virginia, 76-64, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at the MCI Center in Washington.
Redick's line featured 4-17 shooting, including 3-12 from three, but Virginia's backcourt still pounced on the conference's leading scorer, oftentimes leaving Melchionni open on the perimeter.
"J.J. is such an unbelievable shooter that he always attracts a lot of attention," Melchionni said. "Even on an off night, guys are still going to flock to him."
But guarding Melchionni wasn't Virginia's only weakness in the loss. Shooting percentages were about even for both teams, and Virginia only had 10 turnovers to Duke's 12, but the Cavaliers were out-rebounded 54-30, including 23-8 on the offensive end.
"We had trouble rebounding and they got some stick backs," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "The offensive boards were because we are small and they are more physical."
Virginia built a seven-point lead three times during the first half, the last coming with 9:16 remaining before halftime. Senior Elton Brown knocked down a three that gave the Cavaliers a 23-16 advantage. Then, Virginia went cold, hitting only two of nine shots for the remainder of the half, as Duke went on a 24-5 run to bolt ahead at halftime, 40-28.
Virginia advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Miami on Thursday, 66-65. J.R. Reynolds put up 32 points for the Cavaliers but was the only Virginia player to finish in double figures.
Despite being out-rebounded by the Hurricanes, 47-33, the Cavaliers fought back from a deficit that reached as high as nine in the second half to capture the Tigers.
With 2:28 remaining, Devin Smith hit a three, giving the Cavaliers a one-point advantage that they built up to four with under a minute left.
Miami's Guillermo Diaz hit two free throws to cut the lead to one with 22 seconds to go, and then the Hurricanes' Anthony King stole the ball on a botched inbounds pass by Reynolds, giving the Hurricanes one last chance to tie. Anthony Harris had a good look at a three from the lower corner, but the shot bounced off the rim and Virginia knocked away the rebound as the clock expired.
The loss to Duke ended Virginia's season at a disappointing 14-15, one game short of postseason eligibility, and culminated Gillen's career in Charlottesville.
"We just had nothing left and got overpowered by a great team," Gillen said. "Our kids played hard. We just could not make shots. We tried, but we just didn't have enough gas in the tank playing against a great team"
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