Duke cruises past Clemson, will play Virginia for ACC Tournament title :: WRAL.com

CHARLOTTE — Top-seeded and top-ranked Duke, even without two starters, is headed back to the ACC Tournament title game.

The Blue Devils rushed past No. 5 seed Clemson 73-61 on Friday night in Charlotte. Duke will play second-seeded Virginia in Saturday night’s title game. The Cavaliers routed third-seeded Miami in the first semifinal.

“We came here to win,” Duke star Cameron Boozer said. “That’s what we’re going for.”

Duke (31-2) has won a record 23 ACC championships, including last year in Charlotte. Clemson, a charter member of the league, has never won the ACC title.

Boozer, the ACC Player of the Year, delivered another standout performance, leading Duke with 24 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. It was his 19th double-double of the season. Boozer led the ACC in scoring and rebounding.

“He’s as consistent as anybody,” Duke guard Devin Harris said. “Just the way he impacts the game in every way, his passing, rebounding, defending. He’s a dominant force. It’s easy to play basketball when one guy is getting double- and triple-teamed. He makes it easier on everybody.”

The Blue Devils got strong performances from Cayden Boozer and Nikolas Khamenia — two regular reserves — in the absence of injured starters Caleb Foster (right foot fracture) and Patrick Ngongba (right foot soreness). Cayden Boozer had a career-high 16 points, and Khamenia scored 14.

In Thursday’s quarterfinals, Florida State chose to let Cayden Boozer have outside shots often leaving him wide open. He shot 3-of-10 from the floor and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, though Boozer did have a key putback late in the game. 

Against Clemson, he didn’t settle for 3s and instead drove the lane. Boozer finished 6-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3.

“I’m really proud of Cayden, though, because Cayden yesterday was a different kind of game, and to bounce back with the confidence, the control over the game, I just thought he made big plays,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He’s grown so much.”

A night after scoring a career-high 32 points, Isaiah Evans made just 1-of-9 field goal attempts and missed all seven of his 3-point tries as Clemson keyed on him defensively. But Evans set a career high with 10 rebounds, a key without Ngongba and with Maliq Brown in foul trouble.

“He was incredibly patient, disciplined, and then he threw his energy into what we call the 98 percent, all the areas that are without the ball,” Scheyer said. 

Duke ended the first half on a 26-6 run to take control of the game. Clemson made just one of its final 15 field-goal attempts in the first half. The Blue Devils extended the lead to as many as 20 in the second half.

Duke, which has won 10 straight games, likely needs to win the ACC title to secure the No. 1 overall seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament because the Blue Devils’ top competitors for the spot have also been winning in their conference tournaments.

Duke beat Virginia 77-51 in late February.

“It’s a blessing to be playing for a championship,” Scheyer said. “So fatigue is not going to be a factor in this. It’s a blessing. We’re grateful to be in this position where it’s hard to sleep.”

Clemson has played for the ACC title once in 2008. Coach Brad Brownell has brought the Tigers to the semifinals four times since 2019 without a win, including three of the last four tournaments.

“I want to win an ACC Tournament, and we haven’t been able to do that,” he said. “Certainly it’s a point of frustration. But it’s a heck of a challenge, too. There’s 18 teams trying to do it.”

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