Duke dominates Virginia with stifling defense as No. 1 Blue Devils clinch share of ACC title in easy victory

No. 1 Duke's destructive defense delivered the dagger to the ACC field Saturday in a dominant 77-51 win over No. 11 Virginia to claim at least a share of the conference's regular-season title.

That's an alliterative way to say: the best team in college basketball officially guaranteed itself some hardware -- of which there is almost certainly more on the way if it continues at this pace -- and in the process it secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. 

The win for Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in CBS Sports Bracketology, was as stunning as it was overwhelming. Virginia, which entered the day on a nine-game winning streak and with a 25-3 overall record on the season, was a single-digit underdog to the top-ranked team in the AP poll, carrying real hope of an upset win after more than a month since its last loss. But Duke smashed its aspirations into smithereens in no time with a wire-to-wire win. Its lead never fell below 14 points in the second half -- and it ballooned at one point to as many as 28.

"To hold them to only 51 points says a lot about our defense," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "Our guys had a great determination and came out ready."

Virginia averaged 79.2 points per game during its nine-game winning streak with a point differential among ACC teams ranking second behind only Duke. Its 51 points Saturday was its fewest in a game not just this season, but in its last 47 outings. The last time it failed to reach 51 points was when Louisville defeated the Cavaliers on Jan. 4, 2025 in a 70-50 loss last season.

That was more than two months before now-Virginia coach Ryan Odom was hired to lead the Cavaliers program.

"[Jon Scheyer's] team is well-balanced," Odom said. "They know who they are on offense, they know who they are on defense, they're a typical, tough-minded Duke basketball team that can rebound and pressure the ball."

For Duke to make such a statement vs. an ACC foe is one thing. To do it one week removed from a 68-63 win over then-No. 1 Michigan on a neutral floor, which helped catapult Duke to the No. 1 ranking Monday, is quite another. The result now has Duke's defense -- the catalyst for what could be a championship team come March Madness -- up to No. 1 in adjusted efficiency margin at KenPom.com and BartTorvik.com.

"Duke's defense was better [than our offense]," Odom said. "Their defense is really good. They're really good."