This week the top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers were toppled by unranked Minnesota, and the nations fourth-ranked Michigan Wolverines were shocked by the Penn State Nittany Lions, who were winless in the Big Ten heading into their matchup. So it only makes sense that with a huge rematch against the Miami Hurricanes looming on Saturday, Duke was bitten by the upset bug, falling 73-68 to the Virginia Cavaliers.
Virginia forward Joe Harris had a tremendous game for Virginia, a team on the bubble of NCAA Tournament inclusion. Harris flashed his mid-range prowess, scoring 36 points and hitting 10-of-15 shots from inside the 3-point line and also shooting a respectable 2-of-5 from behind it. Harris also sank 10 of his 12 free throws. Harris put forth a complete performance in the upset grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out two assists and blocking two shots to go with his 36 points. Harris kept Virginia steady the entire game, leading the Blue Devils by 16 at one point in the second half.
The Cavaliers' tournament case includes wins over Duke, North Carolina, Wisconsin, North Carolina State and Tennessee, but is also damaged by inexplicable losses to George Mason, Delaware and Old Dominion, all of which play in the Colonial Athletic Conference, the 16th-best conference in Division I, according to ESPN.com. They are currently fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 10-5 record.
Duke got 28 points from Seth Curry, who shot 50 percent from the field and from beyond the arc, and 22 points from Quinn Cook. Mason Plumlee, a Player of the Year candidate for much of the season, underwhelmed with a 10-point, seven-rebound outing. The Blue Devils were outrebounded 33-21 in the loss.
If Harris has a strong finish to the season, he could find himself in the discussion for ACC Player of the Year. He is averaging 17 points per game on 50 percent shooting, 46 percent for 3-point land, to go with four rebounds and two assists per game.
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