DUKE SAVES BEST FOR NEXT TO LAST

DUKE 78, West Virginia 57 – Back in the depths of the deep dark winter when an inconsistent Georgetown team was beating the Duke Blue Devils like a red-headed step child, it was hard to imagine this team improving enough to make it to the NCAA Championship game.

Yet, that is exactly what these Blue Devils have done. No longer a one trick run-and-shoot pony, Duke has figured out how to play bigger and tougher while slashing to the basket to balance out their traditionally good jump shooting.

Jon “Crazy Face” Scheyer scored 23 points, Kyle “Twilitght” Singler scored 21 points and Nolan Smith added 9 points and six assists for the Devils(34-5). Brian Zoubek, all 7-foot-1 of him, clogged up the middle along with 6-10 brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee. Zoubek finished with 10 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.

The Mountaineers were struggling to keep up with Duke who was dominating the glass while shooting 52.7 percent and committing just five turnovers. Then with 8:59 left, Mountaineers' star Da'Sean Butler injured his left knee and was carried off the court.

Game over.

Butler, a 17-point-per-game scorer, finished with 10 points, and was held to a mere basket in the first half while the Blue Devils were building their lead to as many as 13.

Wellington Smith led the Mountaineers with 12 points.

Singler, coming off an 0-for-10 performance in the regional victory over Baylor, went 8 for 16. Scheyer, who was 1 for 11 in a win over Cal the first weekend, went 7 for 13.

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