Duke Secures ACC Title, Virginia Falls

0:00On March 15, number 1, Duke claimed its second straight Atlantic coast conference tournament title with a 74-70 victory over. Number 10 Virginia on Saturday night, Isaiah Evans led the Blue Devils with 20 points, while Cameron Booser had two crucial free throws with 3.9 seconds left to seal the win. This marks Duke's third championship in the past four years under coach John Shire. The Blue Devils improved to 32 wins and two losses, extending their winning streak to 11 games as they head into the NCAA tournament as the likely top overall seed. Caden Booser added 16 points, and his brother Cameron finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. For Virginia, Malightama scored 18 points, and Sam Lewis had 17 in a tight contest that saw 16 lead changes and no team ahead by. Virginia entered with a 1-32 record against number 1 teams, and 0-17 versus top-ranked Duke

1:01squads, including a recent 77-51 loss two weeks earlier. Still, the Cavalier State competitive, trading blows throughout, especially after Duke built a brief 7-point lead late in the first half. Ogana Onianzo set an ACC tournament record with 20 blocks over three games, topping Tim Duncan's mark of 14 from 1995. In the final minutes, Caden Booser's putback gave Duke a 68-66 edge, and after some back and forth free throws and misses Evans, and Cameron Booser combined for the game-clinching shots. Both teams now await their NCAA seeds, with Duke expected to grab a number 1 spot and open in nearby Greenville, South Carolina, while Virginia eyes, a strong bid after its 29-5 regular season.