Duke basketball jumped out to an 11-4 lead, and didn’t look back as they manhandled the Virginia Cavaliers 73-48 at historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils (23-6, 14-4) were led by sophomore center Kyle Filipowski, scoring 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor, filling in for injured Caleb Foster, added 15 points and four rebounds.
The Cavaliers (21-9, 12-7) were held to just 18 points in the first half, only shooting 23.1% on 26 attempts. Senior guard Reece Beekman was one of two players to score in double figures, dropping 18 points and seven assists. While sophomore guard Isaac McKneely added 12 points, Duke was able to hold Virginia’s other three starters to a combined 14 points.
Here’s what you need to take away from the game.
Takeaway #1: Keeping the foot on the gas helps keep Virginia at bay
For the fourth time this season, the Cavaliers were held to under 20 points going into halftime. Just like the previous three games, it was a mountain that was difficult to climb over. Duke basketball was able to make Virginia’s only shooters to average over 10 PPG to a combined 12 points.
“Especially when it’s low possession [game], you have to just play every possession,” second year head coach Jon Scheyer said. “You got to compete every possession and we did that.”
This is also the second time in the last three games where the Cavaliers were held to under 31% shooting from the field.
The Cavaliers shooting improved in the second half, but Duke continued to apply the pressure defensively. Freshman forward Sean Stewart had an defensive stop percentage of 148.1, with most of the minutes he played coming in the second half.
Filipowski even had a chip on his shoulder, considering the controversial ending to the two teams meeting last season in Charlottesville and his performance in that game.
“There [is] still a little reminder in the back of my head about going to Virginia and not scoring and how it ended and all that,” Filipowski said. “Obviously, it’s good to keep me on my A-game mentally.”
Takeaway #2: Getting humbled puts more pressure on Virginia
“We’ve had a few games where we’ve gotten beat handily, and that’s a humbling place to be,” said fifteenth-year head coach Tony Bennett.
It’s one thing to have an off day, but it’s another one to be totally blown out of the gym. Looking at the stats, the only category that went in their favor was blocks.
In fact, they didn’t even make their first three-pointer until 20 seconds left in the half, when McKneely connected to cut the deficit to 22 before halftime.
One factor that might have contributed to the lack of energy from Virginia was the fact that Beekman was the only player to have played a game inside Cameron Indoor. This came to the forefront with just under five minutes left in the first half.
Graduate guard Jake Groves had just missed a three pointer, with freshman guard Ryan Dunn grabbing the offensive board. After substitutions, McKneely tried to hit freshman forward Blake Buchanan on the inbounds. Filipowski read the play and stole the ball, finishing the fast break opportunity with a windmill dunk.
For a team that has been protecting the ball well, having its second game with 12 turnovers in their past nine games left Virginia rattled.
“I think Duke’s good ball pressure, taking some of our guys out, they’re all over [Isaac McKneely},” Bennett said. “Of course they [are] putting pressure on Reese [Beekman].”
With a week to get prepared for their regular-season finale, Bennett feels they need to prepare the best they can due to having to fight for the best seed possible in the ACC Tournament.
Takeaway #3: With Caleb Foster absent, other players are stepping up
While no one can replace the freshman guard, Duke has several players on their bench that can eat up minutes and give the team more options.
Stewart and freshman forward TJ Powers saw more playing time and took advantage of the opportunity. Power, a native of Shrewsbury, MA, connected with two three pointers, while the Windermere, FL native had eight total rebounds to go with his six points.
“I thought both just gave us a great lift,” Scheyer said. “Those guys off the bench have done a great job of just playing to their strengths.”
Even the starters had to up their game for an unorthodox team like Virginia.
“That was a big thing coming into this game,” said senior guard Jeremy Roach. “Being disciplined, especially for the freshmen, who haven’t played in this type of game.”
The best part that Roach saw from this performance was the fact they showed a killer instinct. Even in this late of the season, you are always learning and taking steps in the right direction.
The Blue Devils have a short turnaround, facing NC State before welcoming North Carolina to Cameron. Virginia will have to work on preventing careless turnovers before facing Georgia Tech, a team they beat back in January.
Next game for Virginia: vs. Georgia Tech (Mar. 9 – 8 p.m.)
Next game for Duke: at NC State (Mar. 4 – 7 p.m.)