Top-ranked Duke shared the ACC men’s basketball regular season title with a 77-51 win over Virginia on Saturday.
The win could also clinch the top seed in the NCAA tournament for the Blue Devils, who move to 27-2 with a record of 27-2 and close out the regular season against North Carolina and No. 18 North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium. If Duke loses its final two games, they could share the ACC regular season title with Virginia.
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However, star freshman Cameron Boozer said his team was not interested in splitting the championship, saying after the win, “We don’t like sharing.”
A win in either of Duke’s final two games would clinch the championship. The Blue Devils will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC men’s basketball tournament, which begins March 10.
Isaiah Evans led Duke with 19 points on 5-of-9 3-point shooting. Boozer had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists to help the Blue Devils win their sixth straight game and their 16th in the past 17 games.
Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points, becoming the only Virginia player to score in double figures. Chance Mallory scored nine points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who improved to 13-3 (25-4) in the ACC. Duke’s strong defense allowed Virginia to shoot 29% from the field (16 of 55) and 20% from 3-point range (7 of 33).
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The Cavaliers wrap up their first regular season under head coach Ryan Odom with home games against Wake Forest (5-10 ACC) and Virginia Tech (7-8).
Duke defeated previously No. 1 Michigan 68-63 on Saturday on a neutral court in Washington, D.C., to move to No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Before defeating the Wolverines, the Blue Devils were the No. 2 seed in the top 16 announced by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
Joining Duke and Michigan (27-2) in the top four are Arizona State (26-2) and Iowa State (24-4). Houston (24-5) is also capable of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, although they finished sixth among the top 16 seeds.
