GREENSBORO, N.C. — He hounded Duke star Jabari Parker all game long, following the future NBA lottery pick anywhere he went on the court. So it only made sense that forward Akil Mitchell would be in a defensive stance, standing toe-to-toe with Parker when Virginia’s storybook run reached its new climax.
Parker posted up, took a couple of dribbles and prepared to attempt the turn-around jumper that has enamored NBA scouts for months. Except when he rose up, Mitchell stripped the ball. In a flash, Virginia senior Joe Harris had the ball at the other end of the floor and hit a three-pointer.
An already electric sellout crowd roared its approval, knowing well the Cavaliers were on their way to making history. Top-seeded Virginia won its first ACC tournament championship since 1976 on Sunday, beating No. 3 seed Duke, 72-63, at Greensboro Coliseum.
Sophomore Malcolm Brogdon finished with a career-high 23 points and Harris, named tournament MVP, added 15, all of which came after halftime when the Cavaliers stymied surge after surge by the Blue Devils. Forward Anthony Gill chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.
It was Mitchell who proved to be the unsung hero, scoring seven points, grabbing 15 rebounds and making life miserable for Parker. Though Parker had 23 points, he needed 24 shots to get there.
Neither team seemed able to grab control for long in the second half, responding to every surge of momentum. When Parker started hitting tough shots and Duke forward Amile Jefferson proved pesky down low to start the second half, Brogdon and Harris answered right back
Even when Parker pulled off a surge few in the country are capable of, Cavaliers freshman London Perrantes showed his age with a few uncharacteristic turnovers and Virginia struggled from the free throw line, the Cavaliers wouldn’t wilt.
During a 1-minute 23-second sequence, Parker got a steal and slammed it home with authority, made a three-pointer, blocked a shot and then swished a floater to stake Duke to its first lead of the second half. But all of the damage was done with Mitchell on the bench.
Following a timeout by Coach Tony Bennett, Harris stormed down the court for an acrobatic lay-in to give Virginia the advantage back. Over the course of just 3:11, there were four lead changes and four ties.
But then Virginia began to do what it does best, wearing down an opponent once crunch time arrived. Harris hit Brogdon for a backdoor lay-in, Mitchell tipped in a missed shot, Gill hit four straight free throws and suddenly the Cavaliers led by six with less than four minutes to go.
Soon enough, streamers and confetti came pouring from the sideline and Virginia, the ACC’s regular season champion, began cutting the nets down for the second time in three weeks.
Greensboro Coliseum was filled with a sea of Virginia orange and Duke blue, the crowd seemingly split in half over who should be crowned the ACC tournament champion after thousands of Cavaliers fans drove down for the school’s first appearance in the title game in 20 years.
The team, meanwhile, seemed to embrace the spotlight on a national stage. Former players like Junior Burrough and Harold Deane, members of the 1994 team that fell short against North Carolina in the final, had stopped by the team hotel the night before to remind these Cavaliers just how rare events like Sunday are around Charlottesville.
But if the moment was too big for this group, it didn’t show early. With a mixture of punishing defense and a relentlessness effort on the offensive glass, the Cavaliers jumped out to an early nine-point lead as sophomores Malcolm Brogdon and Mike Tobey combined to score all but one of their first 15 points of the game.
Parker needed nearly eight minutes to get his first basket, hounded by Mitchell at every turn, and the Virginia faithful roared with each defensive stand. The Blue Devils, owners of the ACC’s top offense during the regular season, hit just three of their first 19 shots and scored only seven points in the opening 10 minutes of action.
But after watching the Cavaliers outmuscle and out-hustle them, Duke charged back with a 9-1 run as Virginia went more than eight minutes without a field goal. Parker tied the score at 19 on a three-pointer with less than four minutes remaining before halftime.
The Cavaliers soon regained the lead and, during a timeout two minutes later, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski even picked up a technical foul after referee Jamie Luckie took umbrage with him firing a marker at the bench following a conversation near the huddle.
The seesaw battle was on from there, and emotions ran high on both sides.