Despite clinching the ACC's top seed, Duke coach Jon Scheyer demands more than a share, pushing his surging Blue Devils toward an outright championship.
Duke basketball is hitting its stride at the right time.
One week after beating then-No. 1 Michigan 68-63, the Blue Devils took care of business by knocking off No. 11 Virginia 77-51 in front of 9,314 fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
Duke clinched the ACC Tournament's top seed by routing the Cavaliers.
Star freshman Cameron Boozer had another solid outing, scoring 18 points to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal. Sophomore guard Isaiah Evans led the Blue Devils in scoring with 19 points.
During his postgame news conference, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said he was proud of his team’s handling of a talented Virginia team to round out the month of February.
"I'm proud of our team because I think we beat a really good team in Virginia today," Scheyer said, via StarNews. "I'm a big fan of what coach (Ryan) Odin has done with his group identity, that they have how they play.
"And to hold them to 51 points. I think that says a lot about our defense. I thought our guys had a great determination, came out ready, and just kept on pushing those inflection points."
In addition to taking the top seed for the conference's tournament, Duke earned at least a share of the regular season ACC championship.
Scheyer isn't satisfied with what Duke earned on Saturday. He wants to win the conference championship outright.
"I couldn't be more proud to be able to share the ACC, especially in this day and age where it's not necessarily a better schedule all time and it's just, it's a different day and age.
"We won't take this for granted. With that said, we don't like shares. We have more work that we want to do."
The No. 1 Blue Devils still have NC State to travel to play on Monday night before hosting No. 18 North Carolina to finish the regular season on March 7.
Duke holds a two-game lead on Virginia after Saturday's win. With the way Scheyer's team is playing, they have a serious case to be the top seed for the NCAA Tournament in March.