No lead seems to be safe when Duke plays Virginia in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Blue Devils made sure that there would be no Wahoo-ing for Virginia fans on Saturday night.
In a series that has come to be known for its dramatic comebacks, Duke repeatedly slammed the door on any Cavalier attempts to mount the type of rally that has left fans gasping in the last two meetings in Durham.
Two years ago, Virginia sent the Blue Devils to a crushing 91-88 defeat in double overtime after Duke had led by as many as 23 points with less than 18 minutes to play. Then last year, Duke rebounded from a 17-point deficit to prevail, 79-69. Both games left fans exasperated and coaches wondering what had gone wrong.
But Duke had all the answers on Saturday, as its stifling defense prevented Virginia from putting together any runs like in 1995's comeback, which was the largest rally in Atlantic Coast Conference history at the time.
Saturday, the Blue Devils held the Wahoos to a mere 38 percent shooting night, while forcing 13 turnovers and committing eight thefts
Even more impressively, Virginia made it to the free-throw line only three times in the entire game. Thus, the Blue Devils forced the Cavaliers to earn every point they got-a huge change from the last two Cameron matchups, when Virginia averaged 26.5 points a game from the charity stripe.
And with Harold Deane, the Cavaliers' floor leader, missing in action because the NCAA wouldn't let him take as skimpy of a senior schedule as this author is taking, Virginia was left to the mercy of Duke's pestering defense.
But Duke's best defense may have been its offense, as every time Virginia got any momentum, the Blue Devils answered with authority.
"Basketball is like a chess game," junior Ricky Price said. "It's a game of runs. Who can sustain the most runs, who can work the hardest, who can create turnovers and score off them. We knocked them back early, but then they came back. In the second half they tried to make a rally, but we were able to sustain another rally and hold them off. I think that's a credit to our defense and our execution on offense."
Duke opened the game with a 23-3 run after the Cavaliers scored the first two points, prompting Virginia to take a timeout to regroup. Jamal Robinson tried to spark the Cavaliers on their next possession with a powerful dunk, but senior tri-captain Greg Newton answered right back with an even more impressive slam.
The teams traded buckets for the rest of the half, with Duke leading by 17 at intermission. But after the events of years past, the Wahoos were not dismayed by the deficit.
Virginia came out in the second stanza with a 10-2 run to pull within nine, but that was the closest it would get for the rest of the game.
"[The Cavalier comeback of two years ago] was definitely in the back of our minds when we came in here at halftime," junior Curtis Staples said. "because we had been in this locker room before, in the same boat. The big difference tonight was, they countered. When we came out and made a run, they came back, whereas a few years ago, they didn't."
Trajan Langdon scored the next six points on a pretty three-point play and one of his trademark treys. Senior Carmen Wallace then accounted for the next four points on a pair of acrobatic lay-ins, and Duke's lead was back at a comfortable margin with the win secured.
"In the second half, that one-minute period where Trajan and Carmen made some spectacular plays for us, that was a key part of that second half," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They started the second half real well and kind of knocked us back. And then Carmen and Trajan really did a great job for us there."
Throughout the second half, the whole Duke team was unconscious from the floor, as it hit 54.5 percent of their shots, including 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. Langdon and Steve Wojciechowski combined to hit four out of five treys in the half. Not surprisingly, those two were the top scoring Blue Devils, as Langdon registered 17 points and Wojo had a career-high 16.
But the most important development of the game may have been the clutch play of Langdon and Wojciechowski. While it has been speculated that the only thing that this Blue Devils team is lacking is a "go-to" player to take the clutch shots, both Langdon and Wojo displayed the type of cool that could be important in the close games that are sure to come down Duke's road through the tough ACC schedule.
Since the graduation of Chris Collins a year ago, the Blue Devils have been lacking a leader with the presence and ability to single-handedly carry the team. But both Wojo and Langdon showed the composure and confidence on the court to sink the shot whenever needed. Langdon coolly hit four-of-five three-point attempts, while Wojo knocked down four-of-five shots (three-of-four trey tries) and dished out seven assists. Wojciechowski also connected on one NBA three that would have made Collins proud.
"I'm just glad it went in," said Wojo of the shot, "because if it didn't, I would have heard it [from my teammates].... I guess Chris was blessing me from Finland or wherever he is."
But while Wojo has displayed Collins-like emotion throughout the season as the Blue Devils' floor leader, the development of Langdon as The Man could be key. While Langdon is currently second on the Blue Devils in scoring with 13.5 points per game, he hasn't consistently looked for his shot.
Instead, he has waited for the opportunities to come along, much as Grant Hill did early in his senior year before picking up the slack and carrying Duke to the national title game.
Duke has the talent to win most games without Langdon's presence, and almost any player on the roster is capable of being the "go-to" guy any night. But when Langdon is hot, he can catapult the Blue Devils to the next level.
"I don't think we have a go-to guy on the team," Langdon said. "I think whoever's shooting the ball well, whoever has a mismatch in the game is going to get the ball. It happened to be me at times [against Virginia], and I got hot, and my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball.
"In different games, it's going to be different go-to guys. It just matters on the team and the situation in the game."
Thus far in ACC play, Langdon has begun to emerge as the dominant player that he is capable of becoming. He has led the team with 17.2 points in ACC contests, and he is looking more comfortable than ever.
And with Langdon knocking down jumpers from the perimeter for the rest of the season, no opponent's lead will be secure.
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