No.1 Duke had zero trouble with No. 11 Virginia in a game many thought could be the best of the day in college basketball.
Instead, the Blue Devils flexed their muscles, building a 15-point halftime lead and never letting up as it squeezed the life out of the team that was nipping at its heels in the ACC standings on the way to a 77-51 victory at Cameron Indoor.
The win clinches a share of the regular-season ACC crown for Jon Scheyer's team and ensures the Blue Devils will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Duke needs one more win - or one more Virginia loss - to clinch the outright title.
Virginia came into the game winners of nine straight games, but were no match for a peaking Duke team. Led by a hot start from Isaiah Evans, Duke connected on eight three-pointers in the first half to build a 41-26 lead at halftime.
The threes didn't fall at the same clip in the second half, but the Blue Devils ramped up their defensive intensity to another level and just squeezed the life out of the Cavaliers like a team full of boa constrictors.
Duke dominated on the defensive end, holding Virginia to 16-of-55 (29%) from the floor and 7-of-35 (20%) from the three-point line. Virginia came into the game ranked 24th in the country in offensive efficiency on KenPom, making this defensive effort from the home team that much more impressive.
It was a season-low in points (51) and shooting percentage for Virginia. It was the first time this season Ryan Odom's team was held below 60.
Duke clinches a share of the ACC regular season title with win over Virginia
Duke left no doubt on who the class of the ACC was. Virginia never had a shot at coming into Cameron Indoor and pulling off a rare upset on Coach K court.
Perhaps most impressively, Duke did it without a monster night from National Player of the Year favorite Cameron Boozer. The superstar freshman still scored 18 points, but was just 3-of-11 from the field, doing the majority of his damage from the free-throw line.
Evans was the leading scorer, dropping 19 points and hitting 5-of-9 from three. Evans scored Duke's first nine points of the game and hit four of his five threes in the first half.
Patrick Ngongba II also finished in double figures with 11 points.
The win moves Duke to 27-2 overall and 15-1 in the ACC with two games to play. The Blue Devils face NC State on the road on Monday before finishing up the regular season next Saturday back in Durham against North Carolina.