By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 19 points to help No. 1 Duke beat No. 11 Virginia 77-51 on Saturday, clinching the top seed for the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
The sophomore hit five 3-pointers, three coming in the opening 4-plus minutes as the Blue Devils quickly found their long-distance range. Duke made 8 of 13 3s in the opening half and finished 12 for 24 — seven Blue Devils made at least one 3 — while shooting 49.1% overall.
Star freshman Cameron Boozer finished with 18 points despite going just 3 for 9 from the field. But the 6-foot-9, 250-pound top NBA prospect nonetheless made a huge impact by commanding double teams, passing out to set up teammates and drawing fouls.
Boozer finished with nine rebounds and four assists. He also made 11 of 12 free throws, all by halftime. And that helped the Blue Devils take a 41-26 halftime lead with a margin that would only grow.
As a result, the Blue Devils (27-2, 15-1) have at least a two-game lead on every ACC team and must win one of their last two games to clinch the outright regular-season title.
Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points for the Cavaliers (25-4, 13-3), who had won nine straight and cracked the NCAA selection committee’s preliminary top 16 seeds for March Madness. But Duke — more specifically, Evans — jumped on the Cavaliers while Virginia struggled to make much of anything with Duke smothering clean looks.
The Cavaliers shot just 29.1%, including 7 for 35 (20%) on 3s.
Virginia fell to 1-32 all-time against the No. 1-ranked team — the only win came in January 1986 against North Carolina — and 0-17 against top-ranked Duke teams.
Up next
Virginia: The Cavaliers host Wake Forest on Tuesday.
Duke: The Blue Devils have a short trip to N.C. State on Monday.