No. 1 Duke in a class of its own with resounding win over UVA

The Duke Blue Devils are in a class of their own following Saturday’s demolition of the Virginia Cavaliers.

Duke, which moved to No. 1 in the Associated Press top 25 poll following last weekend’s win over the previously top-ranked Michigan Wolverines (27-2, 17-1 in Big Ten), defeated arguably its toughest competition in the ACC (depending on freshman forward Caleb Wilson’s availability for the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels), 77-51. The Blue Devils never trailed the Cavaliers and led by as many as 28, finding themselves peaking at the right time with the NCAA Tournament only three weeks away.

Dominant Duke win shows Blue Devils should be overwhelming March Madness favorites

No. 11 Virginia (25-4, 13-3 in ACC) entered Saturday’s game riding a nine-game winning streak, outscoring opponents by an average of 12 points per game, 79.2-67.2, including a 90-61 win over NCAA Tournament-hopeful NC State Wolfpack (19-10, 10-6 in ACC).

But it was no match for Duke (27-2, 15-1 in ACC), which has staked an undisputed claim as the best team in the country entering March.

Saturday’s win was the Blue Devils’ fifth double-digit victory over a ranked opponent this season, their most since 2001-02, according to the ESPN broadcast. Overall, they have 10 wins over AP-ranked opponents by an average of 12.1 points per game.

The win also clinched Duke the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ACC tournament, set for March 10-14, where it should be an overwhelming favorite to earn its 24th conference tournament title.

The program is 12-2 in Quad 1 games following Saturday, tied for the most in the country with No. 3 Michigan and the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats (26-2, 13-2 in Big 12). Duke’s two losses have come by a combined four points, one to the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (21-7, 11-4 in Big 12) on a late free throw with three seconds left and the other to North Carolina (22-6, 10-5 in ACC) on a three with 0.4 seconds remaining.

The Blue Devils have outscored conference opponents by nearly 18 points per game, 80.1-62.4. As talented as they are on offense, their defense sets them apart. Per KenPom, they’re No. 1 in adjusted defensive rating. On Saturday, Duke held Virginia to 29.1 percent shooting, its lowest shooting percentage of the season. The Cavs’ previous season-worst was 36 percent in a triple-overtime loss to Virginia Tech on Dec. 31.

After Saturday, there’s little doubt Duke is the country’s best team. The only question left is if it will be able to stick the landing.