Duke Thrashes UVa, Final Score 56-41

Well that just about went as expected. When No. 5 Duke shoots 50% from the floor and you only shoot 28.6%, you're going to lose. And that's exactly what happened, as Virginia only managed to put up 15 points in what can only be called an abysmal second half.

It was an ugly game for both teams, start to finish, which this season has tended to favor Virginia. Duke committed 18 turnovers, but UVa was only able to score 12 points off of that. That's only one in three, at best, leading to points.

Will Sherrill was out for the second straight game, which means Virginia went to a four-guard lineup. A four-guard lineup that found itself as cold as the dead of winter, something you simply cannot afford with that small a lineup against that great a team.

"Let's call it what it is," Tony Bennett said after the game. "You've got to be able to make some baskets, you've got to be able to make some shots."

"It's been horrible. When we get a little cold from the outside or we're not hitting shots, it's a struggle for us to score points. We try to get some if we get a guard rebound and can get some in transition. We try to get them by driving and kicking. But when the three-point ball is off or if we can't get more than three guys in double-figures, it becomes a real strain on us offensively."

Virginia was actually only able to get one guy in double-figures, and even so, barely, as Mustapha Farrakhan was able to put up 11 points.

It wasn't an all-sour note last night, though. Freshman Joe Harris had his 50th and 51st three-point bucket this year. He is now tied for the second most 3-pointers by a UVa freshman (Curtis Staples set the record with 103 3-pointers in 1994-95). He leads all ACC freshmen in 3-pointers made.

At some point, Virginia is going to need to learn to make buckets and finish shots. It's hard to criticize our defense too much here, as Duke was held to their lowest scoring production of the season, but for that matter, Virginia's 41 points was also a season low. Granted, Kyle Singler was simply having an off night.

Virginia will take on rivals Virginia Tech this Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena in front of a sold out crowd. Tip off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The Cavaliers upset the Hokies earlier this season in Blacksburg.