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DURHAM — The knock on the ACC all season has been this: There is no dominant team, no one to seriously challenge for a spot in the Final Four.

Guess what? There is now.

There's something different about the Duke Blue Devils these days. Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are still scoring all the points. But lately, it's been the Big Three plus the Big Guy.

Brian Zoubek scored the biggest three points of the game and grabbed 16 rebounds to help No. 6 Duke beat Virginia Tech 67-55 at sweltering Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday night.

The 7-foot-1 senior's hoop-and-harm three-point play was the only field goal scored by a Blue Devil not named Singler, Scheyer or Smith. Those three combined for 63 of Duke's 67 points.

But Zoubek's play changed the game. And it illustrates what makes Duke (23-4, 11-2 ACC) different.

With 9:55 left, Virginia Tech's ACC player-of-the-year candidate Malcolm Delaney hit a 3-pointer to give the Hokies (21-5, 8-4) a 45-41 lead.

In the midst of an awful shooting night — Duke finished 29 percent from the floor — the Blue Devils were in big trouble on their home court. They were still in trouble 2 minutes later when Smith's free throws gave them a tenuous 49-47 lead.

Then Zoubek grabbed a defensive rebound. Smith missed a jumper, but Zoubek grabbed the offensive rebound. Zoubek put it back, and in the process drew the fourth foul on Hokies forward Jeff Allen.

"He's a mountain masquerading as a man," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "The guy is a huge human being. He gives you a little pop, and he creates space to rebound the ball. And he's not too far from the basket once he rebounds it. We fouled him on that play. I'm not sure if he fouled us first, but we sure fouled him the second time."

Zoubek made the free throw. Then he made a steal at the other end, banging knees with Delaney on the play and hitting the floor. But Zoubek made an outlet pass before going down.

"It's my senior year," Zoubek said. "I've got to put it all out there on the line. We had a chance to create some serious separation in the league tonight against a hell of a team. So there's no holding back."

As Zoubek hobbled up the court, Singler finished the fast break Zoubek started with a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to eight points.

There was still 6:47 left on the clock, but it was over. Zoubek had finished it.

"I've been playing well all year," Zoubek said, "but lately I've been smarter with my fouls so I'm staying on the court a lot more. ... If I just grab rebounds and we win, that's fine with me. I'm cool with that."

Zoubek has started the last three games, helping Duke beat both Maryland and Virginia Tech, the two closest challengers for the ACC regular-season title.

Duke has won six in a row, and Zoubek's playing time is up over that span.

NOTES: Junior guard/forward Kyle Singler scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He has 1,517 career points and passed Carlos Boozer for 27th on Duke's all-time scoring list. ... Senior guard Jon Scheyer, who came in averaging 19.1 ppg, scored 15 points and dished out seven assists. Scheyer has an outside chance to finish his career with 2,000 points. If he maintains his average, Scheyer needs seven games to reach the milestone (and the top 10 on Duke's all-time scoring list). Duke is guaranteed six games — four regular-season, one ACC tournament, one NCAA tournament — but will likely play more.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com

VIRGINIA TECH (21-5) — Allen 4-10 0-0 8, Bell 2-2 0-0 4, Davila 2-6 0-0 4, Hudson 3-12 6-6 12, Delaney 5-19 7-8 19, Raines 1-3 0-0 2, Green 0-3 0-0 0, Witcher 0-0 0-0 0, Boggs 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 19-58 15-16 55.

DUKE (23-4) — Singler 7-15 7-7 25, Thomas 0-3 0-0 0, Zoubek 1-1 1-1 3, Smith 6-17 8-11 23, Scheyer 4-19 4-5 15, Ma.Plumlee 0-1 0-0 0, Dawkins 0-5 0-0 0, Mi.Plumlee 0-0 1-2 1, Kelly 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-62 21-26 67.

Halftime—Duke 35-30.
Percentages—Virginia Tech (FG .328, FT .938), Duke (FG .290, FT .808).
3-point goals—Virginia Tech 2-15 (Delaney 2-9, Green 0-1, Allen 0-1, Hudson 0-4), Duke 10-30 (Singler 4-9, Smith 3-6, Scheyer 3-11, Ma.Plumlee 0-1, Dawkins 0-3).
Fouled out—None.
Rebounds—Virginia Tech 38 (Bell 8), Duke 47 (Zoubek 16).
Assists—Virginia Tech 4 (Delaney 3), Duke 11 (Scheyer 7).
Blocked shots—Virginia Tech 4 (Allen 3), Duke 2 (Singler, Zoubek).
Turnovers—Virginia Tech 11 (Delaney 4, Thompson 2, Allen 2), Duke 11 (Zoubek 3, Thomas 2, Mi.Plumlee 2, Smith 2, Scheyer 2).
Steals—Virginia Tech 6 (Delaney 3), Duke 5 (Singler 2).
Total fouls—Virginia Tech 22, Duke 18.
Technicals—Hudson, Smith.
A—9,314.
Officials—Gary Maxwell, John Cahill, Ed Corbett.