{"id":35913,"date":"2026-03-13T04:22:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/top-ranked-duke-survives-scare-from-florida-state-in-acc-tournament-thriller\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T04:22:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:22:42","slug":"top-ranked-duke-survives-scare-from-florida-state-in-acc-tournament-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/top-ranked-duke-survives-scare-from-florida-state-in-acc-tournament-thriller\/","title":{"rendered":"Top-Ranked Duke Survives Scare from Florida State in ACC Tournament Thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Top-ranked Duke survived a major scare Thursday evening, narrowly defeating Florida State 80-79 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals held in Charlotte.<\/p>

Isaiah Evans delivered a standout performance with a personal-best 32 points to help the Blue Devils (30-2) advance to the semifinals against Clemson. Duke is now pursuing what could be their third conference championship in four years under head coach Jon Scheyer.<\/p>

The victory came despite Duke missing two key starters due to injuries – Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster. Freshman standout Cameron Boozer contributed significantly with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to support the Blue Devils’ effort.<\/p>

Florida State (18-15) mounted a strong challenge behind Lajae Jones’ 28 points and Robert McCray V’s 25-point contribution. Chauncey Wiggins also added 13 points for the Seminoles.<\/p>

The game’s final moments proved dramatic, with Duke clinging to a one-point advantage with 37.8 seconds remaining. The Blue Devils attempted to run down the clock on their subsequent possession, but Boozer’s 14-foot shot was blocked by Alex Steen. Florida State quickly moved the ball downcourt but couldn’t capitalize, as McCray’s three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer.<\/p>

In other tournament action, No. 10 Virginia defeated North Carolina State 81-74, with Malik Thomas scoring 16 crucial points and Thijs De Ridder adding 15. The second-seeded Cavaliers (28-4) will face Miami in the semifinals after reserve Jacari White contributed 13 points and Sam Lewis hit four three-pointers for 12 points.<\/p>

Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso made history with eight blocked shots, tying for the second-highest total in tournament history. Paul McNeil Jr. led NC State with 26 points on six three-pointers, while Ven-Allen Lubin recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Wolfpack (20-13).<\/p>

Clemson pulled off an upset victory over No. 19 North Carolina 80-79, with Nick Davidson recording 17 points and 11 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Tigers. The fourth-seeded Tar Heels nearly completed a comeback, cutting the deficit to one point with 2.9 seconds left on Derek Dixon’s three-pointer, assisted by Seth Trimble. However, Jarin Stevenson’s desperation half-court shot fell short at the final buzzer.<\/p>

Six Clemson players (24-9) reached double figures in scoring. North Carolina (24-8) received a career performance from Henri Veesaar, who posted 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Dixon finished with 16 points.<\/p>

Miami advanced by defeating No. 24 Louisville 78-73, powered by Malik Reneau’s 24 points and crucial second-half plays. The third-seeded Hurricanes (25-7) got additional scoring from bench player Tru Washington with 17 points and Tre Donaldson’s 14 points and six assists.<\/p>

Louisville’s Ryan Conwell scored 22 points for the sixth-seeded Cardinals (23-10), but struggled from long range, making just one of 10 three-point attempts. The Cardinals shot only 25% from beyond the arc as a team. J’Vonne Hadley added 19 points in the losing effort.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Duke narrowly escaped an upset bid from Florida State, winning 80-79 in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. Isaiah Evans led the Blue Devils with 32 points while playing without two injured starters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":35912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773390162317.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-9lf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33532,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/13th-ranked-duke-edges-notre-dame-65-63-in-acc-tournament-semifinals\/","url_meta":{"origin":35913,"position":0},"title":"13th-Ranked Duke Edges Notre Dame 65-63 in ACC Tournament Semifinals","author":"Admin","date":"March 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The 13th-ranked Duke Blue Devils narrowly defeated Notre Dame 65-63 in Saturday's ACC tournament semifinals in Georgia. 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The 18-year-old averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, helping lead the Blue Devils to a 35-3 record and ACC championship.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775247728761.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24916,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/duke-upsets-top-ranked-michigan-68-63-in-washington-d-c-showdown\/","url_meta":{"origin":35913,"position":2},"title":"Duke Upsets Top-Ranked Michigan 68-63 in Washington D.C. Showdown","author":"Admin","date":"February 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Third-ranked Duke defeated the nation's top team Michigan 68-63 in a highly anticipated matchup in Washington D.C. 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