Villanova leading Duke at half

Duke has made a habit of shooting poorly in the first half this season. For the most part, the Blue Devils were been able to get away with it against the ACC.

The slow start could cost the Devils their season against Villanova in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Devils have made just seven of their first 24 shots and trail Villanova, 26-23 at halftime of the East Regional semifinal in Boston.

No. 3 Nova (10 of 29) hasn't shot much better but has been aggressive with its man defense and forced Duke into bad shots or rushed shots at the end of the shot clock.

Gerald Henderson, Duke's leading scorer, is 0-for-5 from the field with two points. The junior wing hit two free throws with 1:10 left for his first points.

Forward Dante Cunningham leads a balanced Nova scoring effort with seven points.

Jon Scheyer, 1-of-7, leads Duke with seven points.

Pitt (1) beat Xavier (4) 60-55 in the first game in the East Regional in Boston and awaits the Duke-Nova winner in the regional final.

On an officiating note, either the NCAA reads ACC Now (and has a sense of humor) or the luck of the random draw reunited Karl Hess and J.D. Collins — two-thirds of the officiating crew from the infamous Duke-FSU game in Durham on March 3.