First half thoughts

Anyone who thought the key to the ACC title game would be Brian Zoubek, raise your hand.

With Duke showing no answer for Solomon Alabi inside early, Zoubek came off the bench to neutralize the Florida State center as Duke took a 14-point halftime lead, 35-21.

It helped that Duke hit five straight three-pointers midway through the first half and Nolan Smith had back-to-back driving baskets to make it 33-16, the second a dunk followed by an airplane run up the court.

But Zoubek took Alabi out of the game after he scored on two of Florida State's first five possessions. He blocked Alabi's first field-goal attempt against him, altered another so strongly that it nearly hit the side of the backboard and drew a foul on Alabi — his second — in the offensive end.

Zoubek finished the half with the block and five rebounds, while Alabi didn't score after Zoubek entered the game — a contribution no one could have expected, and a key one.