I don't suppose Virginia's season is doomed now that the Cavaliers have actually (gasp!) lost a game, but if nothing else, Duke has shown that Tony Bennett's defense can, in fact, be bested. And the book on how to do so apparently goes like this: "Make five 3-pointers during the last 4:38 of game clock."
Of course, not every opponent will be able to implement that strategy to perfection, so rival coaches in the ACC will have to draw inspiration from another rather surprising trend. In the past two games, Virginia has allowed Virginia Tech and the Blue Devils to connect on a combined 59 percent of their 2s.
The Hokies contributed their fair share to that mark with spacing, patience and, counterintuitively, a goodly number of 3-point attempts. By launching nearly half their shots from beyond the arc, Buzz Williams' men created just enough gaps in the Hoos' defense to reach the basket on occasion and even record a few dunks in their 50-47 loss to UVa.
Duke, of course, did pretty much the exact opposite -- and that worked, too. Virginia relies upon massed bodies more than shot-blocking for its rim protection, and if you're the opponent, one way around that defense is simply to face fewer bodies.