Duke Gets Tripped on the Road, 67-65

Zabian Dowdell and his Virginia Tech teammates talked a lot about not being intimidated by Duke and forgetting their lopsided loss on the Blue Devils’ home court 18 days earlier.

The Hokies took the message to heart, and when Dowdell made a three-point shot with 14.6 seconds to play, Virginia Tech had stunned No. 7 Duke, 67-65, Thursday night at Blacksburg, Va.

“Now we belong,” Dowdell said of the Hokies, in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. “I mean, they have to take us serious now.

“Whether they like it or not, we’re here.”

The victory was one of the biggest in team history, and came against the most unlikely opponent -- the one with the reputation for working hard.

Behind 14 points and 18 rebounds from Coleman Collins, Virginia Tech outrebounded Duke, 49-32. The Hokies got J.J. Redick in foul trouble and they blocked 12 shots, making Redick and Shelden Williams work for shots.

“It’s all about hustle and effort and attitude,” Redick said. “You’ve got to go make it happen, and Virginia Tech made it happen tonight.”

The Hokies, 13-10 overall and 6-6 in the ACC, ended a three-game losing streak and pulled into a three-way tie for fourth in the league with Maryland and Miami. The Blue Devils (18-4, 8-4), who beat Virginia Tech, 100-65, less than three weeks ago, lost their second in a row.

“It’s almost beyond words,” second-year Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg said, “and anyone who knows me, to be beyond words is pretty hard for me.”

The finish was frantic, with Redick making a three-point basket with 22.9 seconds left to give the Blue Devils a 65-64 lead, and Dowdell coming back with his shot from the right wing.

After timeouts by each team, Duke inbounded the ball with 4.9 seconds left and Redick fed Daniel Ewing for a three-point try from right of the key that missed, bringing hundreds of fans rushing onto the court.

“Duke is Duke,” Greenberg said, struggling to explain his emotions. “Ten Final Fours. Everything good you can think about college basketball, Duke epitomizes. To me, they’re the Yankees, and I’m a Yankee fan.”

No. 12 Louisville 64, Marquette 61 -- Francisco Garcia’s three-point basket with 2.6 seconds remaining capped a 14-0 run that gave the Cardinals (22-4, 10-2 Conference USA) the victory over the Golden Eagles (17-8, 5-7) at Milwaukee.

Louisville clamped down on Marquette, which turned the ball over once and missed three free throws, three three-point shots, a jump shot and two layups on its final nine possessions.

Travis Diener’s three-point shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim for the Golden Eagles.

No. 25 Villanova 66, Seton Hall 52 -- Curtis Sumpter scored 25 points at East Rutherford, N.J., as the Wildcats (16-6, 6-5 Big East) won for the fourth time in five games. Andre Sweet had 13 points for the Pirates (11-11, 3-8).