March 13, 2003

The No. 12 Blue Devils put their ACC tournament-record 12-game winning streak on the line Thursday night against the Cavaliers, who are seeking their first win in the tournament in eight years.

Duke (21-6) is going for its record fifth straight ACC tournament title. The Blue Devils already are the only team to win four consecutive titles and have won 12 straight games in the tourney since falling to North Carolina in the 1998 championship game.

Virginia, on the other hand, is in the midst of an embarrassing seven-game skid in the ACC tournament. The Cavaliers' last victory came in the 1995 quarterfinals against Georgia Tech.

Duke enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed, and seems more vulnerable than it has been in recent years. After the departures of Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy Jr. following last season, the young Blue Devils were inconsistent at times during the season.

The Blue Devils reached No. 1 earlier in the season, but ended up falling out of the top 10 for the first time since the fifth week of the 1999-2000 season. They had been ranked in the top 10 in 67 consecutive polls.

"We haven't played as well in a game as we've practiced on a day-to-day basis," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It's not effort, it's basically communication. I thought we would be a little better at that by now. It's not there, though."

Duke heads to the Greensboro Coliseum seeking its 14th ACC tournament title. The Blue Devils are second to North Carolina, which has won the championship 15 times.

The Blue Devils lost two of their last three games to close the regular season, falling to the archrival Tar Heels 82-79 in their finale.

Virginia ended a disappointing regular season on a high note, upsetting No. 14 Maryland 80-78 on Sunday night to snap a seven-game skid.

Travis Watson had 26 points and 15 rebounds, while reserve Jason Rogers added 12 points and six boards as the Cavaliers completed a 6-10 season in the ACC.

"Guys really stepped up and showed that this team has a lot of fight left and there's still some season left to show that fight," guard Todd Billett said.

Duke won both meetings this season and leads the series 100-47. The winner advances to face Maryland or North Carolina in Saturday's semifinals.