Duke 80, Florida State 79 — ACC Tournament quarterfinal recap

Thursday, March 12, 2026 | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.

The takeaway: Duke survived a major scare in its ACC Tournament opener, rallying from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat Florida State 80-79 in the quarterfinals. The Blue Devils were pushed to the brink, but Isaiah Evans erupted for a career-high 32 points, Cameron Boozer delivered a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Duke made just enough winning plays late to advance. Florida State had the ball for the final shot, but Robert McCray V’s three at the buzzer rimmed out. (ESPN.com)

Score & line

• Final: Duke 80, Florida State 79
• Halftime: Florida State 44, Duke 43
• Records after the game: Duke improved to 30-2; Florida State fell to 18-15. (ACC)

Key stats

Duke shot 28-for-64 (43.8%) from the floor, 10-for-34 (29.4%) from three, and 14-for-23 (60.9%) at the foul line. Florida State actually shot better overall at 28-for-54 (51.9%), including 11-for-28 (39.3%) from deep, but Duke crushed the Seminoles on the glass, 46-25, including a season-high 22 offensive rebounds. That turned into a huge 24-7 edge in second-chance points, which ultimately saved the Blue Devils in a game they otherwise could have lost. (ACC)

Evans led all scorers with 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting and knocked down 7 of 16 from three. Boozer added 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists for his 18th double-double of the season. Cayden Boozer scored 9, Nikolas Khamenia added 9, and Maliq Brown had only 4 points but was enormous on the glass with 12 rebounds, including 8 offensive boards. (ACC)

For Florida State, Lajae Jones poured in 28 points, Robert McCray V scored 25, and Chauncey Wiggins added 13. The Seminoles had Duke on the ropes for much of the second half, and their shot-making — especially from Jones and McCray — was the main reason the game stayed tight all the way to the horn. (ACC)

Game flow — the moments that mattered

Duke started well enough, getting an early jumper from Cayden Boozer and quick offense from Evans to move in front 11-7, but Florida State answered with a 10-0 run to grab its first lead. Evans kept the Blue Devils steady with a huge first half, scoring 22 points before the break and burying five first-half threes, yet Duke still went to the locker room trailing 44-43 after Florida State shot over 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes. (Duke University)

The Seminoles seized control early in the second half. Florida State scored 10 of the first 16 points after halftime and stretched the lead to 59-51 with 13:01 left, its largest advantage of the night. At that point, Duke looked shaky, and Florida State had all the momentum. (Duke University)

Then the game flipped. Out of a timeout, Cameron Boozer snapped Duke’s drought, then drilled a three on the next key possession. Evans followed with a layup, and suddenly the lead was down to one. From there, the Blue Devils ripped off a 19-2 run, with Boozer’s scoring, Brown’s defense, and Evans’ shot-making changing everything. Brown had two steals during that stretch that led directly to Duke baskets, and Cayden Boozer’s old-school three-point play helped push the lead to 69-61. (ESPN.com)

Florida State did not fold. The Seminoles answered with a late surge, trimming the margin to 72-67, then to 78-75 with 1:30 left, and finally to 80-79 in the closing seconds. Duke got one more crucial possession when Cayden Boozer collected an offensive rebound and scored a putback under a minute to play, keeping the Blue Devils in front by three. That bucket loomed enormous when Florida State got the final chance. McCray rose for a contested three to win it, but it bounced off the rim and Duke escaped. (Duke University)

Player notes & lineup context

This was not a full-strength Duke team, which makes the win a little more telling. The Blue Devils played without injured starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster, forcing others to absorb more responsibility in a high-pressure postseason setting. Evans responded with the best scoring game of his Duke career, and Boozer once again looked like the stabilizing force when Duke needed one most. (Duke Basketball Report)

Brown’s stat line was unusual but vital. He scored only four points and missed all four free throws, yet his rebounding and defensive disruption were game-changing. Khamenia also gave Duke important first-half support with 9 points, helping keep the Blue Devils afloat before the second-half comeback materialized. (ACC)

Florida State, meanwhile, got exactly the kind of guard play it needed to threaten the upset. Jones and McCray combined for 53 points, and the Seminoles forced 15 Duke turnovers while scoring 18 points off turnovers. In a lot of ways, Florida State played well enough to win. Duke just owned the offensive glass and survived the final possession. (ACC)

Why Duke won

The biggest reason was offensive rebounding. Duke’s 22 offensive boards and 24 second-chance points covered up shaky free-throw shooting and an uneven offensive night overall. Without that extra-possession dominance, Florida State likely pulls the upset. (ACC)

The second reason was star power. Evans gave Duke the shot-making it needed all night, and Boozer took over when the game threatened to slip away in the second half. Between them, they scored 55 of Duke’s 80 points. (ACC)

And finally, Duke made just enough winning plays late: Brown’s steals during the decisive run, Cayden Boozer’s and-one, and his putback in the final minute all swung a one-possession game. Florida State had the better shooting line, but Duke had the better rescue sequence. (Duke University)

Quick look ahead

The win pushed Duke into the ACC Tournament semifinals, where the Blue Devils moved on to face Clemson. Florida State was left to wonder what might have been after coming within inches of a quarterfinal upset. (ESPN.com)