Andrew Shurtleff - AP
Duke's Jon Scheyer shoots in front of Virginia's Sammy Zeglinski(13) during the game in Charlottesville, Va. Duke won 67-49.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Senior forward Lance Thomas was so excited about what’s coming up this week for Duke that he couldn’t sit still as he talked about it Sunday night.
Thomas and the fifth-ranked Blue Devils had just crushed Virginia 67-49 at John Paul Jones Arena. Whether they intended it or not, Duke’s players sent a message to Maryland heading into the biggest ACC game of the season at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
If Maryland (21-7, 11-3 ACC) can win on its senior night, it will grab a share of first place in the ACC. Duke (25-4, 12-2) can clinch first place in the ACC for the first time since 2006 with a win at Maryland.
None of the current Duke scholarship players has been on a team that finished first in the ACC standings.
“We need it,” Thomas said. “We’re in a position to take it. We’re doing everything possible to get it. We’re not holding anything back.”
Maryland is coming off an epic, 104-100, double-overtime win over Virginia Tech but will face the hottest team in the ACC. On a weekend when No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Purdue all lost, the Blue Devils gave themselves a chance to move up in the rankings with their eighth straight win – and their ninth ACC win in a row.
Junior forward Kyle Singler scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half Sunday as Duke grabbed a double-digit lead in the eighth minute. Jon Scheyer added 20 points, and Duke hammered a Virginia team that was missing its best player and hasn’t won since Feb. 3 against N.C. State.
Virginia (14-13, 5-9 ACC) lost its seventh straight game and played without leading scorer Sylven Landesberg. A sophomore wing averaging 17.4 points per game, Landesberg suffered a thigh bruise Tuesday against Miami.
Senior center Jerome Meyinsse (21 points) made up for some of the lost offense. But Virginia forward Mike Scott appeared lost against a defense that held the Cavaliers to 31.4 percent from the field.
Scott, who averaged 12.8 points per game before Sunday, never scored and missed all six of his field goal attempts.
“We wanted to make a point just to come out right away and set the tone,” Scheyer said, “and we really did a great job of that.”
With no offense from their top two scorers, the Cavaliers were no threat to a well-drilled Duke team. Singler scored 14 points in the first 13 minutes, and Duke scored 20 of the first 24 points.
Duke led 35-21 at halftime and stretched the advantage to 42-22 after Scheyer made two 3-pointers in two minutes early in the second half.
Afterward, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski declined to talk about whether the Blue Devils helped their chances for a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament. That’s a decision that’s too far in the future for him to speculate on.
But Krzyzewski didn’t shy away from the immediate opportunity that’s in front of his team. He said he likes Maryland’s teamwork under coach Gary Williams and the way point guard Greivis Vasquez is leading the team.
Vasquez ranks second in the ACC in scoring after hitting for 41 points against Virginia Tech.
“The game Wednesday will be a big-time game,” Krzyzewski said. “Plus it’s their senior night, and Vasquez is playing lights out. They’re just playing so well. They’re the epitome of who Gary is. They’re just so tough-minded and good.”
So is Duke. Which is why Thomas was practically jumping out of his skin in anticipation of what should be his final game as a Blue Devil on an opponent’s home floor.
“I hope you can see the urgency when I talk about it,” Thomas said. “Whatever it takes to get it, I want to do it.”
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com or 919-829-8942, or @kentysiac on Twitter
