The win also likely clinches a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the 27-2 Blue Devils, who finish the regular season with matchups at NC State and No. 18 North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke could possibly share the ACC regular season title with Virginia if they lost those final two games.
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However, freshman Cameron Boozer indicated his team is not interested in a split championship, saying after the win, “We don’t like sharing.”
A win in either of Duke’s final two games will secure the outright championship. The Blue Devils will be the top seed in the ACC men’s basketball tournament, which begins March 10.
Isaiah Evans led Duke with 19 points, going 5 of 9 on 3-point attempts. Boozer followed with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists as the Blue Devils won their sixth straight game and 16th in their last 17 games.Thijs De Ridder was the only Virginia player to score in double figures with 16 points. Chance Mallory added 9 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who fell to 13-3 in the ACC (and 25-4) with the loss. A tough Duke defense held Virginia to 29% (16 of 55) shooting, 20% (7 of 33) from 3-point range.
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The Cavaliers finish their first regular season under head coach Ryan Odom with home games against Wake Forest (5-10 ACC) and Virginia Tech (7-8).
Duke rose to No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll after a 68-63 win over previously top-ranked Michigan last Saturday on a neutral court in Washington, D.C. Before defeating the Wolverines, the Blue Devils were the No. 2 seed in the top 16 released by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
Joining Duke and Michigan (27-2) in the top four were Arizona (26-2) and Iowa State (24-4). Houston (24-5) is also in position to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, although it was ranked No. 6 among those top 16 spots.