In a dramatic quarterfinal battle at the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, No. 1-seeded Duke Blue Devils survived a late scare to edge the Florida State Seminoles 80–79 on Thursday night.
Freshman guard Isaiah Evans delivered the best performance of his young career, knocking down seven 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 32 points to lead Duke. Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Cameron Boozer added 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Blue Devils held off Florida State’s late push to advance to the tournament semifinals.
Florida State had one final chance to pull off the upset. After Seminoles forward Chauncey Wiggins blocked Boozer with seven seconds remaining, Florida State raced down the floor for a potential game-winner. Guard Robert McCray V launched a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out, allowing Duke to escape with the one-point victory.
The Blue Devils (30–2) leaned heavily on their rebounding advantage, dominating the glass 46–25. Defensive sparkplug Maliq Brown played a crucial role in shifting momentum, grabbing 12 rebounds and making two pivotal steals during a key second-half surge.
Despite the loss, Florida State was led by strong offensive performances from Lajae Jones, who scored 28 points, and McCray, who added 25. The Seminoles also shot well from beyond the arc, hitting 11 of 28 attempts from 3-point range.
Duke, however, found its rhythm when it mattered most.
Florida State led 35–34 at halftime and continued that momentum early in the second half. Behind a quick 10-point burst from McCray, the Seminoles built a 59–51 lead seven minutes into the half, putting the top-seeded Blue Devils on the brink.
But Boozer ignited the comeback with an offensive rebound basket followed by a 3-pointer from the top of the key on the next possession. That sparked a decisive 19–2 Duke run, fueled by Brown’s defensive pressure that led to transition layups.
Evans continued his torrid shooting throughout the night. The former North Mecklenburg High School standout finished 11-of-20 from the field and 7-of-16 from deep. Earlier this season, Evans scored 28 points against Florida State in Duke’s 91–87 win in January, and he once again proved to be a major problem for the Seminoles.
Duke managed the victory despite missing two key starters. Point guard Caleb Foster remains out indefinitely with a broken right foot, while big man Patrick Ngongba II is sitting out the ACC Tournament due to a foot issue.
Still, the Blue Devils found enough firepower and defensive grit to extend their winning streak to nine games.
Florida State rallied late, trimming the deficit to 80–79 behind a clutch basket from Jones, setting up the final possession that nearly stunned the top seed.
Florida State will now wait to see if it receives an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament. Duke advances to the ACC Tournament semifinals, where it will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Clemson Tigers and No. 24 North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball on Friday.
