Postgame: Singler, Scheyer and Smith combine for 63 of Duke's 67 points. Singler posts a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Brian Zoubek was a force on the glass all night, finishing with 16 rebounds--eight of which came on the offensive glass. Zoubek also had the play of the game, as his three point play midway through the second half keyed the Blue Devils' 13-4 run that separated them from the Hokies for good.
FINAL Duke 67, Virginia Tech 55: Singler hits a late three to ice this one for the Blue Devils. More to come after post game.
52.1 2nd half; Duke 64, Virginia Tech 55: Nolan Smith hits a three as the shot clock expires, and after a Delaney miss on the other end, the Crazies are happy to inform the Hokies of whose house they're visiting.
1:25 2nd half; Duke 61, Virgnia Tech 55: Duke comes up empty on the offensive end and the Hokies get a hard faught layup to bring this game within six. Sidney Crosby has scored for Canada to bring the score in Vancouver to 4-3 with about three minutes to play in the 3rd period.
2:15 2nd half; Duke 61, Virginia Tech 53: A scrum for a loose ball results in the Crazies calling for a technical, but no such luck from the officials so far as they review the play. The possession arrow favors the Blue Devils, and they should get the ball here as a jump ball was the original call. As we wait, an update from Vancouver where Team USA leads host Canada 4-2 in the 3rd period of Olympic hockey action.
UPDATE: Smith and Hudson are called for matching fouls on the play, Duke ball on the baseline.
3:16 2nd half; Duke 60, Virginia Tech 51: As we get into crunch time here in Durham the Big Three has 56 of the Blue Devils' 60 points, while Malcolm Delaney has turned up his game in the second half to lead the Hokies with 19 thus far.
4:11 2nd half; Duke 60, Virginia Tech 49: Cameron has erupted here as the Blue Devils go on a 13-4 run led by more of the same terrific rebounding from Brian Zoubek. On the offensive side, Smith and Singler continue to find their way to the hoop and Jon Scheyer put the icing on the most recent possession with a three that was followed by a high-flying chest bump at midcourt featuring Scheyer and Smith.
7:09 2nd half; Duke 51, Virginia Tech 47: Brian Zoubek is on the scoreboard for the first time tonight, with a putback on yet another offensive rebound for the seven-footer. That will be 14 total rebounds for Zoubek on the day, and the Crazies are very appreciative of his stellar effort this evening.
9:09 2nd half; Duke 47, Virginia Tech 45: Nolan Smith finds his way into the lane for the layup and one from the line. The Blue Devils seem intent on allowing the Big Three to do all the scoring, and for the time being that might be all they need to hold on to this close lead.
9:51 2nd half; Duke 44, Virginia Tech 45: Delaney hits a three that had to be reviewed after Cameron erupted on a tough layup by Kyle Singler. The Blue Devils will need to find away to improve their poor shooting if they want to pull away.
10:50 2nd half; Duke 42, Virginia Tech 42: Singler comes up with a great block at the rim, and Zoubek cleans up the rebound once again to keep this one tied.
11:48 2nd half; Duke 42, Virginia Tech 42: After Scheyer missed an open three, Mason Plumlee put a perhaps ill-advised three-point attempt off the front iron and the Blue Devil shooting woes continue to grow. Some strong defensive pressure from Miles Plumlee led to a timeout by Seth Greenberg, but the Hokies look poised to stay in this one until the end.
13:16 2nd half; Duke 41, Virginia Tech 38: After some early struggles this half, Singler fights his way into the lane for a layup and he'll go to the line for one more. Dorenzo Hudson found his way into the Blue Devil huddle after the foul, causing a little tension between the two squads.
14:44 2nd half; Duke 39, Virginia Tech 38: The Hokies have taken advantage of recent Blue Devil lapses to pull within one. They've found their way into the lane with ease, and a fast-break layup after Zoubek was stripped gave head coach Mike Krzyzewski cause for a timeout.
15:54 2nd half; Duke 39, Virginia Tech 32: There's number four for Thomas, and he'll take a seat. Foul trouble could haunt the Blue Devils later in this one, as Zoubek and Mason Plumlee are both carrying three fouls already for Duke. Ryan Kelly will try to relieve some of that pressure as he enters the game for the first time, replacing Thomas. Zoubek is currently the proud owner of 9 rebounds for the Blue Devils as well.
17:09 2nd half; Duke 37, Virginia Tech 32: Some confusion as to who picked up the last foul for the Blue Devils, originally charged to Brian Zoubek. The fould would have been the fourth for Zoubek but after much persuasion from the Duke coaching staff, the foul has been cancelled and charged to Lance Thomas. Both players now have three fouls.
HALFTIME: Duke 35, Virginia Tech 30: The Hokies put together a short run at the end to pull within 5. At the half Singler leads the way with 14 while Smith and Scheyer have both posted 10 points for the Blue Devils. We'll see if Duke manages to diversify the offense at all in the second half, as Lance Thomas and Andre Dawkins were the only other players to register a field goal attempt in the first half, going 0-for-1 and 0-for-5 respectively. Brian Zoubek continues to dominate the post, leading the way with 7 total rebounds, 4 on the offensive end. For the Hokies it's Delaney and Hudson with 8 points each, though Delaney will have to be careful as he carries 3 fouls into the second half. Duke is shooting only 23.3% from the field (7-for-30) despite a 33.3% effort from three-point territory (6-for-18). The Blue Devils have not registered a field goal since the 3:11 mark of the first half.
1:15 1st half; Duke 35, Virginia Tech 26: After a botched rebound, Lance Thomas manages to draw the charge from Malcolm Delaney, sending Delaney to the bench with his third foul after just 8 first half points.
3:29 1st half; Duke 31, Virginia Tech 23: Jon Scheyer and Malcolm Delaney are both starting to find their touch from three-point land, with Delaney hitting a particularly impressive deep shot over Miles Plumlee. Scheyer has joined Singler in double digits for the Blue Devils, with 10 points thus far. Add in Smith's 6 and the Big Three have scored 30 of 31 points for Duke, the lone outlier registered by Miles Plumlee at the free throw line early on.
6:10 1st half; Duke 27, Virginia Tech 18: Singler has added to his game-high 14 points from the line yet again, and Andre Dawkins checks in for the second time today as he continues to find his way back into the Blue Devils' rotation.
7:39 1st half; Duke 23, Virginia Tech 16: The Blue Devils are finding the touch offensively now after forcing a pair of turnovers. Singler knocked down two free ones and followed with a three-pointer that sent the Crazies into a frenzy as Duke now holds its biggest lead of the night. The volume in Cameron is steadily rising as the graduate students feed on Singler's momentum to call upon Crazy Towel Guy for some added excitement. A young fan behind the Duke bench has also been recognized by the students for his homemade Blue Devil mascot mask, a very well crafted creation.
9:07 1st half; Duke 15, Virginia Tech 14: Nolan Smith makes a great move to avoid a double team and draw a foul in the paint. He knocks down the two free throws to give the Blue Devils the lead.
10:43 1st half; Virginia Tech 14, Duke 13: Zoubek is energizing the crowd as he picks up another offensive rebound, resulting in Malcolm Delaney's second personal foul.
11:35 1st half; Virginia Tech 14, Duke 11: The Blue Devils have been plagued by turnovers on the offensive end, as back-to-back possessions have ended with the ball thrown away. Singler has kept Duke in it with a three and a long two, but the Blue Devils will need to hold onto the ball to stay in this one. Brian Zoubek is continuing his stellar play of late, registering four rebounds in the early going here including a great grab on the offensive glass.
14:21 1st half; Virginia Tech 12, Duke 6: A quick outing for Mason Plumlee, who records two fouls in a span of less than ten seconds and will retake his place next to Nate James on the Blue Devil bench. Victor Davila is proving to be a presence in the paint for the Hokies, already with two emphatic slams.
15:28 remaining in the 1st half; Virginia Tech 8, Duke 6: The game has started at a brisk pace here with neither team really finding their touch on the offensive end. A pair of three's from Singler and Smith have kept it close for the Blue Devils, but the Hokies seem to have the superior athleticism so far finding their way into the lane easily. Nolan Smith will draw the defensive matchup against fellow Maryland native Delaney, and he has done a good job slowing the star guard so far. The Plumlee brothers will now be checking in for Duke.
Pregame: Tonight's battle in Cameron features two of the top teams in the ACC as No. 6 Duke (21-4, 10-2 in the ACC) hosts Virginia Tech (21-4, 8-3). Both teams are riding five game winning streaks into tonight's game, and the Blue Devils boast an undefeated home record this season. Malcolm Delaney leads the Hokies into Durham, and his 22.1 points per game are tops in the conference. The atmosphere should be electric from the start, especially following these comments from Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg.
Duke will start Scheyer, Smith, Singler, Thomas and Zoubek while the Hokies counter with Allen, Hudson, Davila, Bell and Delaney.
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