The last time the Duke basketball players faced Virginia — a 72-70 home win on Jan. 19 — they employed a second-half strategy on offense that the Cavaliers never proved they could stop.
The Blue Devils used an abundance of isolation drives — attempting only four 3-pointers after the break and only one in the final 15 minutes — to crack the code of the Cavaliers’ vaunted pack-line defense.
So when No. 2 Duke (20-2; 8-1 ACC) plays at No. 3 UVA (20-1; 8-1 ACC) at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN, there is no sensible reason not to embrace that same strategy from the opening tip — at least until Virginia proves it can stop it.