Move over Leroy Brown.
Shane Battier is the baddest man in the whole damn town. The junior has turned heads all season long and had another impressive outing last night as the Blue Devils routed visiting Wake Forest 96-78 to claim their fourth consecutive outright ACC crown.
Midway through the second half, Duke held an eight-point lead and with the shot clock winding down, Battier heaved up a three that bounced off the backboard and fell through. Battier was fouled on the play and he converted his free throw attempt to boost the Blue Devils' lead to 12, effectively putting an end to Wake's comeback bid.
"Shane's three was a heartbreaker," Wake Forest guard Robert O'Kelley said. " I guess it was just meant to be."
The shot was symbolic of Battier's night, where almost everything went his way. The Naismith Award candidate and returning national defensive player of the year dominated play on the offensive end in the first stanza. Battier played the entire first half, scoring 21 points. He was an impressive 7-of-10 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
To paraphrase the hyperventilating Dick Vitale, Battier was simply a three S man last night; super, scintillating and sensational. His 34 points marked a new career high, and he has now gone over 30 points twice this year.
"With Nate [James] not feeling well and Mike [Dunleavy] out, I knew someone else was going to have to step up on offense," Battier said. "I got some good looks and fortunately I was able to knock some shots down."
Conversely, Wake's top gun, O'Kelley, did his best to impersonate Harry Houdini in the first half. O'Kelley averaged 17.5 points per game last season, more than any other returning ACC player, but last night posted a zero in the scoring column in the first half.
The second half wasn't much kinder, and O'Kelley finished the game with just four points on 2-of-10 shooting, including 0-of-4 from behind the arc. O'Kelley, who was mostly guarded by Chris Carrawell, appeared rushed on most of his shot attempts.
"They're a really good defensive team," O'Kelley said. "I didn't feel like I was rushing my shot at all. I got some good looks and I just missed on them. [My shooting] has affected my team in a big way and I got to get it turned around. I'm going through a funk right now and I haven't been playing well lately. I just have to keep fighting."
If O'Kelley doesn't come out of his slump soon, then Wake Forest fans can look forward to holding up placards with the mantra "NIT or Bust."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.