Duke Routs Radford 99-63

March 14, 1998 / 1:01 AM EST / CBS/AP

Except for the arena full of boos, Duke's NCAA tournament couldn't have started any better.

The Blue Devils got the reception they anticipated a hostile Rupp Arena crowd before producing the lopsided victory that everyone else expected. Five players reached double figures and Duke's man-to-man defense smothered Radford in a 99-63 victory Friday night.

Duke (30-3), the top seed in the South Regional, will play eighth-seeded Oklahoma State on Sunday with a revived sense of momentum. The Blue Devils are coming off a tough week that included a loss to North Carolina in the ACC title game.

"This is a big step for us in the first round of the tournament," said Roshown McLeod, who led Duke with 23 points. "We started off great and played well together. That's what we had gotten away from. We want to build on what we did tonight."

Although Radford (20-10) had little chance against the bigger, deeper, quicker and more experienced Blue Devils, it at least had the crowd in its favor. Angered by coach Mike Krzyzewski's complaints about having to play in Lexington, the majority of the 16,824 fans pulled for the Highlanders in their first NCAA tournament appearance.

"We expected it," said Chris Carrawell, who added 16 points. "We just wanted to come out and play hard on offense and defense."

"We'd rather have boos than nothing," McLeod said. "That means they're coming out to see us. We responded well to the crowd's reaction."

It didn't take long for the crowd's mood to change to resignation. McLeod scored 19 points in the first half matching Radford's total as Duke pulled away to a 51-19 lead.

Thirteen players ended up scoring for Duke only offensive leader Trajan Langdon wound up without a point and 10 players logged at least 11 minutes.

"We knew it was our worst nightmare to draw Duke," coach Ron Bradley said. "Duke is a much more athletic team. We're not a super-athletic team and they are. Every player on their team is an offensive weapon."

Duke, making its 14th NCAA appearance in the last 15 years, improved its overall tournament record to 58-19. The Blue Devils have been a top seed only twice before: They won the national title in 1992 and finished second in 1986.

There was a festive atmosphere before Duke took the floor. The teams' mascots had an impromptu 1-on-1 game the helmeted Highlander beat the blue-headed Devil 13-0 and boos cascaded when Krzyzewski walked onto the court.

One sign summed up the feelings of thousands of fans: "I'm Just Here To Boo Duke. Go Kentucky."

Radford had a chance to take the first lead when Eric Parker was fouled while trying to score inside. But he missed both free throws, and Duke was off and running.

Carrawell had seven poits in an 18-0 run that put the Blue Devils up 35-10. The Highlanders had trouble simply getting off shots against Duke, which had five blocks and forced 18 turnovers while holding Radford to 19 points in the half.

The 32-point halftime lead was Duke's second-biggest of the season.

Krzyzewski substituted freely as the gap widened, giving him a chance to rest Steve Wojciechowski for the second-round game. The point guard had a virus last week and collapsed from dehydration after the ACC tournament game Sunday, leaving him a little weak for the tournament.

Wojciechowski finished with three points in only 19 minutes.

"I tried to get a feel for using him again," Krzyzewski said. "I think his stamina is getting better. The one word I've never had to use with Steve is endurance. That's what I'm watching now with Steve. He's getting back."

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