UVa Men Look To Stop Duke's ACC Winning Streak
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Jan. 4, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Duke brings a 22-game conference winning streak to Charlottesville onWednesday as it begins Atlantic Coast Conference play at Virginia.
The eighth-ranked Blue Devils (9-2) have not lost an ACC game since a 97-73rout at North Carolina on Feb. 5, 1998. Duke has won 43 of its last 48regular-season conference games since the start of the 1996-97 season,including a perfect 16-0 mark in the 1998-99 campaign. The Blue Devils also wonthe ACC tournament in impressive fashion, rolling over Virginia, North CarolinaState and North Carolina by a combined 75 points.
Duke ran its winning streak to nine games with a 96-55 rout of William &Mary on Sunday. Freshman Carlos Boozer scored a season-high 28 points and hit11-of-12 shots from the field. He was named the ACC freshman of the week forthe second time this season and has been steadily improving since recoveringfrom a broken foot.
“We were very efficient offensively. Certainly, the most efficient personwas Boozer. We got him the ball in good spots. He played like he’s practiced,”Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
Chris Carrawell added 20 points and eight assists, while freshman pointguard Jason Williams contributed 19 and seven. Duke shot 56 percent from thefloor and had 26 assists on its 37 baskets, but was denied its fourth straight100-point game, which would have set a school record.
Carrawell leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game, followedclosely by Williams (16.2 ppg). In the frontcourt, Battier is averaging 15.8points and Boozer is contributing 12.2.
Virginia (9-3) is riding a five-game winning streak and pounded Dartmouth onSunday, 89-50. Chris Williams scored 24 points and Keith Friel added 14 for theCavaliers, who shot 65 percent from the field in the first half and 60 percent(35-for-58) for the game. They also made 10-of-20 shots from 3-point range.
Pete Gillen’s team has been playing solid defense, averaging almost 10steals per game. Chris Williams is averaging a team-high 14.3 points and DonaldHand is contributing 13.9. Virginia is scoring 82.8 points and forcing 20.8turnovers per game.
This should give Gillen a good gauge of how far his team has progressed fromlast season. The Blue Devils embarrassed the Cavaliers in three games, scoring319 points and winning by an average of 43 points. The 100-54 victory atCharlottesville last season was Virginia’s worst home loss in school history.
Duke leads the all-time series 93-49 and has won nine straight games since a77-66 loss at Virginia on Jan. 13, 1996.