Duke outlasted Virginia 74-70 to win the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. It wasn’t pretty, but gritty.
Tournament MVP Cameron Boozer made only 3 of 17 FGs, but scored 13 including two key FTs with 3.9 seconds left. He added 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Isaiah Evans had 20 and Cayden Boozer, who played 40 minutes, 16. Down two starters, Duke used only 7 players but outrebounded Va. by 10.
Malik Thomas (18) and Sam Lewis (17) led the Cavalier scoring, with Ugonna Onyenso getting 9 blocks, 8 rebounds.
Early tourney games involving lower seeds were exciting and intense with stifling defense. Notre Dame, Ga. Tech, Boston College didn’t make the tournament cut. Three schools, Ga. Tech, Syracuse, Boston College, fired their coaches.
Duke edged FSU 80-79 and topped Clemson 73-61. Clemson eliminated UNC 70-69 in a game that wasn’t that close. Va. beat Miami 84-62 and N.C. State 81-74.
J.B.