In Charlotte, North Carolina, Isaiah Evans contributed 20 points, while Cameron Boozer secured the victory with two crucial free throws at 3.9 seconds remaining, leading top-ranked Duke to a 74-70 triumph over tenth-ranked Virginia on Saturday evening. This marked Duke’s consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship under coach Jon Scheyer’s guidance and their third title in the last four seasons.
Cayden Boozer contributed 16 points, and his teammate Cameron Boozer concluded the game with 13 points, eight boards, and eight assists. These efforts helped the Blue Devils (now 32-2) extend their unbroken winning streak to eleven contests, positioning them as probable top overall seeds entering the NCAA tournament.
For Virginia (with a record of 29-5), Malik Thomas achieved 18 points, and Sam Lewis added 17. The contest was tightly contested, with neither side establishing a lead greater than seven points and experiencing 16 shifts in leadership.
Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia’s center, recorded nine blocks during the game, bringing his total for the ACC tournament to a new record of 20 rejections across three matchups. This surpassed the prior record of 14 set by Tim Duncan in 1995.
Historically, the Cavaliers entered this game with a dismal 1-32 overall record when facing top-ranked adversaries, including an 0-17 mark specifically against top-ranked Duke squads. Furthermore, just a fortnight prior, they had suffered a significant 77-51 defeat at the hands of the Blue Devils inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
However, Virginia displayed no signs of intimidation on Saturday, even as Duke appeared poised to create a significant gap late in the initial half, having established a 36-29 advantage. This lead grew after Evans connected on a three-pointer and Cayden Boozer – already with 14 points prior to halftime – executed a fast-break dunk following a Virginia turnover.
The game proceeded with alternating leads until Cayden Boozer converted a weakside offensive rebound, giving the Blue Devils a decisive 68-66 lead with 2:50 remaining. On their subsequent possession, the Cavaliers failed to attempt a shot before the clock expired, allowing Duke to capitalize on the shift in momentum as Evans sank two foul shots, extending their lead to 70-66.
Onyenso then scored from close range, narrowing the deficit to two points, but Cameron Boozer subsequently failed to convert two free throws. Thomas was presented with an opportunity to equalize, yet he missed the initial attempt of a one-and-one, resulting in possession returning to Duke.
In a later play, Onyenso blocked Cameron Boozer for the fifth occasion. Nevertheless, Boozer managed to recover his own miss and distributed the ball to the perimeter, where the Cavaliers committed a foul on Evans. Evans then successfully converted both foul shots with 12.3 seconds remaining, giving Duke a four-point advantage.
Thomas then executed a layup, and Virginia subsequently fouled Cameron Boozer. Boozer redeemed his earlier free throw struggles by successfully making two crucial free throws, thereby sealing the win.
