DURHAM — With a precious 7.4 seconds remaining in the game, Duke's Marvin Bagley III drilled a 3-pointer, cutting Virginia's lead to 63-61.
The fourth-ranked Blue Devils immediately called a timeout.
There was still time.
Still time to upset the No. 2 team in the country. And still time to keep the defensive-minded Cavaliers from winning their first game in Cameron Indoor Stadium in 23 years.
Followng the timeout, Virginia's Kyle Guy was smothered on the ensuing inbounds play, drawing a one-and-one opportunity from the foul line when senior Grayson Allen was called for a foul.
Allen headed to the other end of the court, rubbing his jaw, after taking an elbow from Guy on the inbounds play. It appeared inadvertent, but the predominantly blue-clad crowd didn't see it that way.
With 6.1 seconds to go, Guy let fly the front end of the one-and-one. He wound up making both, and No. 2 Virginia escaped Cameron with a 65-63 win.
This Atlantic Coast Conference duel was the biggest men's college basketball game of the weekend. Duke came into the game at 6-2 in the ACC and 18-2 overall with a team that starts four freshmen. Virginia, far more seasoned, had compiled an 8-0 league record, 19-1 overall.
It would be a high-level, physical game, with the younger Blue Devils initially as committed to the defensive end as Virginia, the top defensive team in the nation in Division I.
"My guys played their hearts out," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I feel bad for them, but that's the way it is. ... It was a very physical game. I'm not saying dirty or anything. Hard fought. So we have to recover, not just emotionally, but physically, for Monday night," when Notre Dame comes to town.
Duke, which has the look of a national champion led by Bagley, the leading scorer in the ACC at 21.6 pointed, was simply outplayed over the first 20 minutes. Too many turnovers helped stake Virginia to a 32-22 lead. The Blue Devils also suffered from 3-point range, going 0-for-7.
During warm-ups before the second half, the players fired up 3-pointers almost exclusively, trying to find the range.
"I thought we got worn out playing defense," Krzyzewski said. "Part of them being good is they wear you out. Their offense beat our defense."
"They're physical," Allen said. "Our offense wasn't clicking. They scored the ball on us, and we weren't getting stops like we needed to."
Eager to turn things around, the Blue Devils went to a zone defense after banking on man-to-man coverage before the half. They also reverted to a near full-court press to rattle the Cavs.
The strategy worked.
Virginia struggled to score, while Duke stormed back before more than 9,000 screaming fans.
"I just think they're so talented, and it was easy for them to get going," the Cavaliers' Guy said. "The full-court press just slowed us down."
Bagley then showed his versatility, as the gifted forward scored from inside and out. A smooth, long-range 3-pointer here, a monster dunk there. The 6-foot-11 sensation scored 20 in the second half, and 30 overall, with 14 rebounds — monster numbers in the talent-rich ACC.
"It started to work out for us early in the second half," Bagley said, "but at the end, it kind of went their way ..."
Thing was, Virginia found its groove.
But Bagley stroked a 3 to cut it to two before the late-game Allen foul on Guy.
With the outcome on the line, the Cavs had missed their previous two one-and-one attempts.
Guy made the first, giving Virginia a 64-61 lead.
Then the second, 65-61.
Time elapsed after Bagley scored to end the game, 65-63.
"We are learning, and we're getting better," Krzyzewski said. "But we didn't have enough to win the game today."
Staff writer Michael Futch can be reached at mfutch@fayobserver.com or 486-3529.