CHARLOTTESVILLE--
Ninety-nine seconds into the second half of last night's game at John Paul Jones Arena, Duke's Gerald Henderson shredded Virginia's defense for a layup. The easy basket gave the fifth-ranked Blue Devils a 51-37 lead and made them four-for-four from the field since the break.Immediately came a whistle and a time-out. Certainly it had to be Virginia coach Dave Leitao asking for a chance to regroup his troops, right?
Nope. It was Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who wasn't pleased with his team trading baskets with the tired Cavaliers.
"That's why I called time-out," he said. "I told 'em, 'We've got to play defense.'"
Actually, Duke's best defense is a good offense. It was in full effect in last night's 86-70 romp over the Cavaliers, and the nation will be watching Saturday night when the Blue Devils (26-3) host No. 1 North Carolina (28-2).
The Tobacco Road showdown will decide the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship and may go a long way toward determining which team gets a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
"We're definitely excited," Duke senior DeMarcus Nelson said. "We're going to play a championship game Saturday, then we're going to Charlotte for the ACC tournament, and we're going for a championship there. Then we're going to try to win [NCAA] regional and national championships."
The way they're playing, don't count out the undersized Blue Devils. They've already beaten UNC once, and since sophomore forward Gerald Henderson Jr. has overcome a wrist injury, their offense is hitting on all cylinders.
Last night, Henderson's 19 points led five double-figure scorers. Who needs a post game when you've got five players who can drive and shoot the 3-pointer?
"What they decided to do was to be the best offensive team in the country," Leitao said. "Their mind-set never changes. They could be down 18 points at Miami or up 20 against St. John's. and they play the same way mentally.
"It's harder against them. Even if you make three or four stops in a row, the fifth is tough. That's why they're successful. They play that same aggressive offense."
Much to Leitao's chagrin, Virginia ranks near the bottom of the ACC in most defensive categories. But several times last night, the overmatched Cavaliers--playing for the third time in five days--made the Blue Devils work hard for their shots.
But as often as not, a Blue Devil would penetrate into the lane and find a teammate open at the 3-point line when his defender reflexively collapsed to try to help. Duke, the ACC's top 3-point shooting team, made 12 of 27 from long range.
And when they missed, the Devils collected 11 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points.
"When you get offensive-rebound baskets, it gives you energy and knocks energy out of the other team," Krzyzewski said.
Without a starter taller than 6-foot-8 (and four regulars 6-5 or shorter), Coach K borrowed a page from his Team USA assistant, Mike D'Antoni of the NBA's Phoenix Suns. The Blue Devils often have five nearly interchangeable parts on the floor, making for matchup nightmares.
Point guard Greg Paulus, who struggled mightily in Duke's forgettable 2006-07 season, has thrived in the system and reinvented himself as a deadly outside shooter. He has a team-high 68 3-pointers, but 6-8 freshman Kyle Singler (47), reserves Jon Scheyer and Taylor King (42 each) and Nelson (38) are all dangerous as well.
And for the record, Duke can play traditional defense. The Devils harassed Virginia's Sean Singletary into one of the worst 18-point performances of his career. He went 1-for-7 from 3-point range, committed five turnovers and forced several shots in frustration.
After Singletary got off to a hot start last night, the Devils actually switched into an effective zone, a rare move for Krzyzewski. Said Nelson: "We're a man team, but [the zone] was something Coach called for us to do, and we talked through it."
They made need to try it again Saturday against the bigger Tar Heels, one of only two teams in the country who average more points per game (90.1) than does Duke (85.1). (VMI is the other.)
It worked the first time, in a convincing 89-78 win in Chapel Hill last month. Saturday night brings Round Two of what could be four memorable meetings.
"It's going to be a big-time game," said Nelson, who'll be making his final appearance at Cameron Indoor Stadium. "I'm going to try to keep my emotions in check."
That may be easier than checking Tyler Hansbrough--or for the Tar Heels to stop Duke. It should be fun to watch.
Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com