Duke Basketball has once again asserted its dominance over the Atlantic Coast Conference. On Saturday night at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, Duke outlasted the Virginia Cavaliers 74-70 to capture its 24th ACC Tournament title. This victory marks the most conference tournament championships of any school in history, moving the Blue Devils further ahead of rival North Carolina.
It was a gritty performance for Jon Scheyer’s squad. While the Blue Devils entered as the top seed, they had to fight through a historically difficult shooting night from star forward Cameron Boozer. Boozer, the Naismith Player of the Year frontrunner, struggled against the length of Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso. Onyenso set an ACC Tournament championship game record with nine blocks, keeping the Cavaliers within striking distance all night.
With Boozer held to 13 points on a 3-of-17 shooting clip, other Blue Devils stepped into the spotlight. Sophomore wing Isaiah Evans led the charge with a game-high 20 points, including 13 crucial points in the second half that helped Duke regain control during a seesaw battle featuring 16 lead changes.
Freshman guard Cayden Boozer also proved his mettle while starting in place of the injured Caleb Foster. He finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists, providing the steady backcourt presence the Blue Devils needed to weather Virginia’s defensive storm. On the other side, Malik Thomas paced the Virginia Cavaliers with 18 points, while Sam Lewis added 17 in the losing effort.
The win secures back-to-back conference titles for Scheyer in just his fourth year at the helm. More importantly, it likely cements Duke as the No. 1 overall seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. After surviving a defensive masterclass from Virginia, the Blue Devils head into Selection Sunday with a 32-2 record and all the momentum in the world as they look to chase a national championship.
