Duke 74, Virginia 70 — ACC Tournament championship recap

Saturday, March 14, 2026 | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.

The takeaway: No. 1 Duke won the ACC Tournament title the hard way. In a game with 12 ties and 16 lead changes, the Blue Devils survived a tense, physical championship fight with No. 10 Virginia and made the last winning plays, closing out a 74-70 victory for their second straight ACC Tournament crown and Jon Scheyer’s third title in four seasons. (Duke University)

Score & line

• Final: Duke 74, Virginia 70
• Halftime: Duke 38, Virginia 36
• Records after the game: Duke improved to 32-2; Virginia fell to 29-5. (Duke University)

Key stats

Duke did not win this one with pretty shooting. The Blue Devils shot just 25-for-65 (38.5%) overall and 8-for-25 (32.0%) from three, but they compensated with relentless work on the glass, finishing with a 41-31 rebounding edge and a massive 20 offensive rebounds. Duke also got to the line and converted 16 of 20 free throws, while Virginia shot 24-for-54 (44.4%), made 8 of 24 from deep, and went 14-for-16 at the stripe. (Duke University)

The Blue Devils were led by Isaiah Evans’ 20 points, including four made threes and the late free throws that helped seal it. Cayden Boozer followed with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Cameron Boozer had a gritty all-around line of 13 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists despite a difficult shooting night. Nikolas Khamenia added 9 points and 6 rebounds, and Dame Sarr chipped in 9 points. For Virginia, Malik Thomas scored 18, Sam Lewis added 17, and Ugonna Onyenso was a major defensive factor with 9 blocks. (Duke University)

Game flow — the moments that mattered

Virginia came out sharp and punched first after Duke’s early 6-2 edge. The Cavaliers answered with a 10-point run and grabbed a 9-6 lead, immediately turning the title game into the kind of half-court grind they wanted. Duke steadied itself behind Cayden Boozer, who scored early and often, and a late burst from Isaiah Evans helped push the Blue Devils in front 36-29 late in the first half. Still, Virginia closed the half on a 7-2 run and cut it to 38-36 at the break. (Duke University)

The second half swung back toward Virginia. After Evans opened the half with a three, the Cavaliers ripped off the next seven points and eventually built a 49-45 lead. That stretch was a key test for Duke, because the Blue Devils never found much offensive rhythm for long and Cameron Boozer was being hounded into a rough shooting night. Instead of fading, Duke answered with toughness: Cameron Boozer hit his first three to stop the slide, Khamenia made two free throws, and Darren Harris finished a three-point play as Duke moved back in front. (Duke University)

The game stayed on a knife edge from there. Virginia tied it at 58-58 with 8:14 left, but Cameron Boozer responded with an offensive rebound, putback, and free throw to edge Duke ahead 61-60. Evans then drilled a deep three under the five-minute mark to keep Duke in front 66-65, and after Virginia tied it again at 66-66 with 3:10 left, Duke finally found the sequence that won the championship: Cayden Boozer scored on an offensive rebound, then Evans hit two free throws to make it 70-66 with 1:59 to play. (Duke University)

The closing possessions told the story. With Duke up 70-68 and just 28 seconds left, Cameron Boozer missed a shot but collected his own rebound, extending the possession and forcing Virginia to foul. Evans calmly knocked down both free throws for a 72-68 lead with 12 seconds left. Virginia answered with a quick layup to make it 72-70, but Cameron Boozer hit two more free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining, and Cayden Boozer intercepted Virginia’s final inbounds pass to end it. (Duke University)

Player notes & lineup context

This was very much a current 2025-26 Duke win: Isaiah Evans, Cayden Boozer, Cameron Boozer, Dame Sarr, and Maliq Brown formed the core of the closing group, with Nikolas Khamenia and Darren Harris supplying key minutes off the bench. Cayden Boozer’s role was especially important; after the game, he said the key was staying confident as his minutes and responsibilities grew. (Duke University)

Virginia’s current 2025-26 rotation made Duke earn every bit of this championship. Malik Thomas and Sam Lewis combined for 35 points, Dallin Hall had 7 points and 4 assists, and Ugonna Onyenso changed the game defensively with a championship-game-record 9 blocks. The Cavaliers were far more competitive than they had been in Duke’s 77-51 win over them two weeks earlier, and Ryan Odom said afterward that Virginia had its chances before Duke made the final plays it needed. (Duke University)

Why Duke won

1. Offensive rebounding: Duke’s 20 offensive boards repeatedly rescued empty possessions and created the extra chances that mattered most late, especially Cayden Boozer’s go-ahead putback. (Duke University)
2. Late composure: Evans and Cameron Boozer combined to hit the game’s last four Duke free throws, and Duke executed under pressure in the final 30 seconds. (Duke University)
3. Winning despite Cameron Boozer’s shooting struggles: Cameron Boozer shot just 3-for-17, but still gave Duke 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and several of the championship’s biggest hustle plays. Duke had enough balance around him to survive. (Duke University)

Quick look ahead

The win gave Duke its 24th ACC Tournament title, the most in conference history, and sent the Blue Devils into Selection Sunday as ACC champions again. Virginia, despite the loss, looked every bit like a dangerous NCAA Tournament team after pushing the nation’s No. 1 team to the final possession. (Duke University)