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GREENSBORO — Duke has a different feel this year — an edge, perhaps, or maybe a sense of purpose. Senior Lance Thomas, asked to describe the emotion that roars through this team, settled on one word: Determination.

Duke won the 2009 ACC tournament, but North Carolina overshadowed that title when it won the NCAA championship. Then Gerald Henderson turned pro, Elliot Williams transferred, and the Tar Heels beat Duke for Harrison Barnes in a ferocious recruiting battle.

Ah, but Duke didn't settle back into second place. The Blue Devils went right to work once the season started and were at it again Friday, knocking out Virginia 57-46.

This wasn't one of Duke's prettiest efforts. The Blue Devils felt they lacked a sense of urgency in the first half, and Kyle Singler described the team as "sluggish."

The second half was different, and the obvious storyline on this one was Singler got hot and the Cavaliers couldn't match his size.

But the deeper reality is two-fold. Virginia played a tough, aggressive game and wasn't intimidated by the Blue Devils. The Cavaliers jammed the ball inside and went right at Duke much of the game.

Even so, Duke played with poise when the game got desperate. Duke was up 46-44 when Nolan Smith got a tip-in, Jon Scheyer banked in a shot, and Singler tipped in a basket for a 52-44 lead. It all happened quickly and coolly, and there was no doubt after that who would win.

Duke's defense strangled Virginia in the stretch. And Duke, with the game clock winding down, played marvelously.

On one play, Duke's bench yelled a play, "93 Shallow," and Scheyer promptly scored when he cut around a screen and drove to the basket.

Virginia coach Tony Bennett noted that his team was able to make Duke "nervous," but said of the Devils, "When it got to the time when they had to make plays, they certainly made some."

Determination will do that for you.

Friday's win continued a relentless march this season that now includes wins in 10 of Duke's last 11 games. Now, Duke is 27-5 and will play in today's 1:30 p.m. semifinals against Miami.

"At the end of the day, they want to win," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said, "and they are willing to put forth the effort to do that."

Why Duke won

The game was tied at 27 at halftime, but the Blue Devils hunkered down on defense in the second half. Duke held Virginia to 19 points in the period and 30.8 percent shooting from the field.

Why Virginia lost

The Cavaliers had to have a hot game from guard Sammy Zeglinski and didn't get it. Zeglinski did a brilliant job guarding Duke's Jon Scheyer, but he never got his own offense going, missing all nine of his shots.

Play of the game

After a Duke time-out, Kyle Singler hit a 3-pointer with 14:24 to play that gave the Blue Devils a 38-33 lead. It was the second of four straight baskets by Singler.

The key player

Singler's outburst in the second half made the difference in this one. Singler, a 6-foot-8 forward who plays on the wing, was a matchup problem for Virginia, which often played three guards.

What they're saying

"Whenever we made an error, they capitalized on it. You can't have that against Duke." — Tony Bennett, Virginia coach

"We knew it would be a low-scoring game. I thought our defense was very good throughout. And in the second half, we had much better flow offensively. We executed really well a couple of times to give us a three and four-possession lead." — Mike Krzyzewski, Duke coach

Noting the game

Mike Krzyzewski's wife and daughters were right behind the Duke bench and were up often, urging on the Duke fans. Many fans in the Greensboro Coliseum were pulling for Virginia. ... Jon Scheyer had a tough game, making only 5 of 17 shots against tenacious defense by Virginia's Sammy Zeglinski. Scheyer finished with 15 points and three assists. ... Duke's three core players have played heavy minutes this season, and Jon Scheyer played 38 and Nolan Smith 37 Friday. Kyle Singler only played 32, largely because of foul trouble.

VIRGINIA (15-16) — Farrakhan 3-9 2-2 9, Zeglinski 0-9 0-0 0, Jones 5-10 3-3 15, Scott 6-11 2-4 14, Meyinsse 3-9 2-2 8, Evans 0-2 0-0 0, Sene 0-1 0-0 0, Jonke 0-0 0-0 0, Sherrill 0-2 0-0 0, Tat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-53 9-11 46.

DUKE (27-5) — Smith 6-12 2-3 15, Singler 7-14 2-3 18, Scheyer 5-17 4-4 15, Thomas 0-1 2-5 2, Zoubek 1-5 0-0 2, Ma.Plumlee 1-2 1-2 3, Dawkins 0-2 0-0 0, Mi.Plumlee 1-2 0-0 2, Kelly 0-0 0-0 0, Davidson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 11-17 57.

Virginia 27 19 — 46
Duke 27 30 — 57

Percentages—Virginia (FG .321, FT .818), Duke (FG .382, FT .647)

3-point goals—Virginia 3-14 (Jones 2-4, Farrakhan 1-5, Sherrill 0-1, Zeglinski 0-4), Duke 4-14 (Singler 2-3, Smith 1-4, Scheyer 1-6, Dawkins 0-1).

Fouled out—None.

Rebounds—Virginia 37 (Scott 11), Duke 39 (Singler 11).

Assists—Virginia 10 (Farrakhan 4), Duke 6 (Scheyer 3).

Blocked shots—Virginia 3 (Meyinsse 3), Duke 2 (Ma.Plumlee, Zoubek).

Turnovers—Virginia 14 (Zeglinski 5, Farrakhan 4), Duke 11 (Smith 4, Singler 2, Thomas 2).

Steals—Virginia 7 (Zeglinski 4), Duke 7 (Smith 4).

Total fouls—Virginia 17, Duke 15.

A—na.

Officials—Jamie Luckie, Les Jones, Sean Hull.