CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke sophomore guard Isaiah Evans scored 20 points, freshman forward Cameron Boozer made two game-sealing free throws with 3.9 seconds left, and the top-ranked, top-seeded Blue Devils defeated 10th-ranked, second-seeded Virginia 74-70 on Saturday night for their second straight Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament title and third in Jon Scheyer’s four seasons as head coach at his alma mater.
Cayden Boozer had 16 points, and twin brother Cameron — the 6-foot-10, 250-pound tournament MVP — overcame a poor shooting night to finish with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Blue Devils extended their winning streak to 11 games heading into the NCAA Division I tournament, where they’re expected to be the No. 1 overall seed for the 68-team bracket.
Malik Thomas led Virginia with 18 points and Sam Lewis added 17 for the Cavaliers in a game that featured 16 lead changes as neither team’s advantage ever grew larger than seven points.
“That was a heavyweight fight,” Scheyer said amid the confetti at midcourt at the Spectrum Center after the game. “And I think people know that Virginia is really good, but I don’t think everybody does. So they tested us in every way. Man, I was just so proud of our guys, the competitive spirit we had down the stretch.”
Duke (32-2), missing injured starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II, won despite tying a season low by shooting 38% from the field, with ACC player of the year Cameron Boozer shooting just 3-for-17.