No. 1 Duke wants more after outlasting Virginia for ACC Tournament title :: WRAL.com

CHARLOTTE — Even with star Cameron Boozer far from his best and two starters out, No. 1 Duke proved they are the class of the ACC.

And the Blue Devils are champions again.

Boozer made two free throws in the final seconds and Duke followed up its outright regular-season title with a tournament championship for the second straight year, outlasting second-seeded Virginia 74-70 in a tight, tense title game Saturday night.

“We’re not done yet,” coach Jon Scheyer said during the postgame celebration on the court, a nod to the upcoming NCAA Tournament where Duke is likely to be the No. 1 overall seed. “We went into this week determined to win, but also wanted to learn something new. I learned some new things about these guys.”

One lesson: The Blue Devils can win even when Boozer, the ACC Player of the Year, is not at his best. 

Boozer scored a season-low 13 points on a season-worst 3-of-17 shooting from the field as Virginia 7-footer Ugonna Onyenso blocked nine shots and bothered Boozer all night. Boozer missed two key free throws with 75 seconds remaining.

But he dished out eight assists and grabbed eight rebounds, including a pivotal offensive board after he was blocked again by Onyenso — and kicked it out to bleed clock, the type of winning plays that Scheyer preaches and appreciates. Boozer made two game-clinching free throws in the final seconds.

“It was a rough night, but my teammates picked me up,” Boozer said in accepting the tournament MVP award.

Boozer admitted to being frustrated but credited Onyenso with his tough defense and said the lesson was to just keep attacking and finding other ways to win.

“We’re spoiled,” Scheyer said. “I’m spoiled because he’s 13-8-8 and it’s like, that’s an off night for him. It just is. He’s really spoiled us with his consistency.”

Onyenso set a tournament record with 21 blocks in three games. He blocked eight shots in Virginia’s quarterfinal victory against NC State. He said he didn’t notice Boozer’s frustration.

“Most players would have been mad and showed it, but [Boozer] did a really good job composing himself and stayed locked into the game,” Onyenso said. “Because most players, that would have been the reason they lose a game, like being frustrated that they’re not getting their shots. But he made plays for his other teammates.”

A second lesson: Duke has enough depth to survive. 

Starting point guard Caleb Foster (right foot fracture) and center Patrick Ngongba (right foot soreness) missed the entire tournament, opening more opportunities for Cayden Boozer and Nikolas Khamenia.

Boozer, Cameron’s twin brother, matched the career high he set on Friday with 16 points, taking advantage of a defense that paid him little attention early to aggressively drive the basket. 

Florida State played him the same way in Thursday’s quarterfinals, and Boozer struggled, missing all five of his 3-point attempts. But Boozer had a critical late rebound putback in the Blue Devils’ 80-79 win against the Seminoles and he had a near identical one to put Duke ahead for good on Saturday night with 2:49 left.

“Not really being guarded is a tough situation for anyone to be in,” said Boozer, who played all 40 minutes Saturday. “But to be able to have the adversity in the first half of that game and be able to just figure it out in that game, I think was just really important to be prepared for that because it might happen again in the tournament. Just trying to be prepared for any situation, and I think these last two games, just trying to be confident and not let the defense dictate what I do.”

Khamenia had nine points and six rebounds in 32 minutes. Isaiah Evans had a game-high 20 points and made four consecutive free throws in the final two minutes with the game in the balance.

Malik Thomas had a team-high 18 points for Virginia (29-5). Sam Lewis added 17 for the Cavaliers, who lost by 26 at Duke in the regular season but pushed the Blue Devils to the brink Saturday night. The game featured 12 ties and 16 lead changes. It was tied at 66 with under three minutes left.

“We feel like we have some unfinished business now going into March Madness,” said Virginia’s Dallin Hall.

A final lesson: The Blue Devils, too, have some unfinished business in March. Last year’s team, equipped with five NBA Draft picks and a national player of the year, stumbled in the Final Four. A season that would be the best in school history for most NCAA teams carries a tinge of regret at Duke.

This year’s version knows what’s at stake over the next three weekends. Duke is six wins from national title No. 6 — and No. 1 for Scheyer.

“Everything we want to accomplish,” Cameron Boozer said, “we definitely can.”

In other words, Duke is not done yet.

ACC All-Tournament team

First-team

Cameron Boozer, Duke (MVP)
Isaiah Evans, Duke
Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia
Sam Lewis, Virginia
Robert McCray V, Florida State

Second-team
Cayden Boozer, Duke
Lajae Jones, Florida State
Henri Veesaar, North Carolina
Malik Thomas, Virginia
Thijs de Ridder, Virginia