Duke basketball: Virginia star breaks Shane Battier's record, sort of

Kihei Clark notched his 71st ACC win, including postseason play, as the Virginia Cavaliers defeated the Louisville Cardinals on the road, 61-58, on Wednesday night. Technically, Virginia's fifth-year point guard now has the all-time record for ACC wins, but Duke basketball great Shane Battier might have something to say about that.

After all, Clark has the benefit of an extra year of eligibility due to the truncated 2020-21 season.

UVA hangs on to beat Louisville 61-58, moving to 12-3 in ACC play!

Kihei Clark becomes the ACC’s all-time career wins leader (71) @UVAMensHoops | #ACCMBB

pic.twitter.com/SlmJYsAQFz
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) February 16, 2023

As for Battier, the versatile power forward was a part of 70 victories over conference foes in only four years. So while Virginia now boasts the all-time winningest ACC player, the Duke basketball program still lays claim to the player who averaged the most such wins per year.

Furthermore, when Battier was a Blue Devil (1997-01), the regular-season ACC slate consisted of only 16 games per team. Nowadays, teams play 20 games apiece; the total increased from 18 following Clark's freshman season at Virginia.

Shane Battier, whose 131 overall victories as a collegian remain the most among all Blue Devils in history, helped lead the school to three consecutive ACC Tournament titles.

The 2001 national champ, who went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA and win two titles alongside LeBron James with the Miami Heat, is a three-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year, one-time ACC Player of the Year, and one-time Naismith Award winner.

And his No. 31 is one of 13 Duke basketball jersey numbers forever hanging from Cameron Indoor Stadium's rafters.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for daily Duke basketball content.