Duke Survived Florida State 80-79 In Quarterfinals Of Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Thursday Night To Advance To Semifinals Friday Night In Charlotte
The month of March for college basketball team is about surviving, advancing!
Duke who is the top seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament survived, advanced with 80-79 win over Florida State Thursday night to advance to Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals Friday night in Charlotte where they’re going to oppose Clemson the 8 seed who survived Duke’s tobacco road rival North Carolina the 4 seed by the same score 80-79.
As Duke survived, advanced to Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals as a team Duke shot 28-64 on field goals for 44 % were 10-34 on 3 pointers for 29 % were 14-23 for 61 % on free throws. Pair of players scored in double figures. Those players were Cameron Boozer who is a freshman a forward for Duke who is the son of former Duke forward former NBA forward Carlos Boozer the twin brother of Duke freshman guard Cayden Boozer was 7-16 on field goals , 2-5 on 3 pointers , 7-9 on free throws to go along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 23 points.
Isaiah Evans who is a sophomore who is a guard was 11-20 on field goals , 7-16 on 3 pointers , 3-4 on free throws to go along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 32 points.
According to ESPN App
Following Duke surviving Florida State 80-79 in quarterfinals Thursday night to advance to Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals Friday night in Charlotte Cameron Boozer who was 7-16 on field goals , 2-5 on 3 pointers , 7-9 on free throws to go along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 23 points shared his thoughts on Duke offensive rebounding against Florida State by saying That’s been a staple for us all year and we’ve talked about crashing all year long,”
We’re a big, physical team even with Pat being out. Twenty-two is a lot of offensive rebounds.”
Following Duke surviving Florida State 80-79 in quarterfinals Thursday night to advance to Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals Friday night in Charlotte Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer who is playing without two starters in junior guard Caleb Foster sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II because of injuries shared his thoughts by saying Caleb was in every huddle, talking, and was incredible,”Pat’s energy was great. “That’s what we put our focus towards. No excuses. We have to step up with the team we have. We have to figure this out, though. I thought (FSU) put us in some tough positions.”
We knew we were in for a big time basketball game,
If anyone has been paying attention to college basketball the last two months ... to win 10 of their last 12 games, (FSU) found something and that’s a credit to their coaching staff to kind of recreate their team. “It was a different game for us. We had different lineups. We were in a position we hadn’t been in all year, down eight, second half. I think the character that our guys showed at that moment was big time.”
According to Chip Alexander News & Observer articles https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article314976459.html
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article314976459.html
Duke who is the top seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament is now going to prepare play Clemson Friday . Clemson is 5 seed in Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament who advanced with 80-79 win in quarterfinals over Duke’s tobacco road rival North Carolina who was 4 seed in Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
As Clemson advanced with 80-79 win over Duke’s tobacco road rival North Carolina as a team Clemson shot 29-61 for 48 % on field goals was 11-30 on 3 pointers for 37 %. Six players scored in double figures. Those players were RJ Godfrey who is a senior who is a forward was 6-14 on field goals , 0-1 on 3 pointers , 1-1 on free throws to go along 3 rebounds, 2 assists , 13 points. Ace Buckner who is a freshman who is a guard was 5-9 on field goals, 1-2 on 3 pointers to go along 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 11 points. Butta Johnson who is a senior who is a guard was 4-11 on field goals, 2-6 on 3 pointers to go along with 10 points. De Andre Hunter who is a senior who is a guard was 4-6 on field goals , 0-1 on 3 pointers , 6-6 on free throws to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 14 points. Nick Davidson who is a senior who is a forward was 5-6 on field goals was 4-4 on 3 pointers was 3-6 on free throws to go along with 11 rebounds, 17 points. Jestin Porter who is a senior who is a guard was 2-6 on field goals , 2-3 on 3 pointers , 4-6 on free throws to go along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 10 points.
Following Clemson surviving Duke’s tobacco road rival North Carolina following advancing to semifinal Friday Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell shared his thoughts by saying. Obviously fantastic win for us. Really happy for our team. Our defense was good. We didn’t turn the ball over against their press. Excited to play Duke tomorrow.
Following Clemson surviving Duke’s tobacco road rival North Carolina 80-79 Thursday night in Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals Clemson Athletic Director Graham Neff shared his thoughts by saying 40 minutes with a smile
According to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAapjRyKSuw
Duke, Clemson matched up once during 2025-2026 regular season when they matched up on Saturday February 14, 2026 in Durham when Duke was then ranked 4th in AP Top 25 Poll when Clemson was then ranked 20th in AP Top 25 Poll when Duke topped Clemson 67-54.
Coming into their game on the road at Duke on Saturday Clemson had a record of 6-0 on the road away from Little John Coliseum in 2025-2026 season haven won at Syracuse on Wednesday December 31, 2025 haven won at Pittsburgh on Saturday January 3, 2026 73-68 haven won 76-61 on Saturday January 10, 2026 at Notre Dame haven won at Georgia Tech 77-63 on Saturday January 24, 2026 haven on the West Coast at Stanford 66-64 on Wednesday February 4, 2026 before winning at California on Saturday February 7, 2026 77-55.
According to https://clemsontigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/season/2025/
On Saturday February 14, 2026 in Durham Duke handed Clemson their first loss on the road in ACC play in 2025-2026 season as defensively Duke held Clemson to 20-57 on field goals for 35 % held Clemson to 6-24 on 3 pointers for 25 %.
As Duke held Clemson to 35 % 25 % shooting Clemson only had two players in double figures. Those players were Carter Welling who is a junior who is a forward who is sidelined for Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament for the remainder of the season with torn ACL. RJ Godfrey who is a senior who is a forward who was 4-10 on field goals to go along with 8 rebounds, 1 assists, 10 points
Cameron Boozer , Cayden Boozer, Isiah Evans led the way offensively in Duke’s 67-54 win.
As Cameron Boozer scored 18 points Cameron Boozer who is a freshman who is a forward was 7-14 on field goals , 2-4 on 3 pointers , 2-4 on free throws to go along 8 rebounds, 4 assists , 18 points. Cayden Boozer who like his twin brother Cameron Boozer is a freshman though his twin brother Cameron Boozer Cayden Boozer is a guard. Cayden Boozer was 5-8 on field goals , 0-2 on 3 pointers , 2-3 on free throws to go along with 2 rebounds , 3 assists , 12 points.
As a team Duke shot 23-54 for 43 % were 10-29 on 3 pointers for 34 % were 11-15 on free throws for 73 %
According to espn app
While Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer Isaiah Evans led the way offensively defensively as a team Duke held Clemson to 20-57 for 35 % on field goals 6-24 for 25 % on 3 pointers.
According to espn app
Following Duke handing Clemson their first loss on the road in Atlantic Coast Conference play in 2025 -2026 season as Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer scored 18, 12, 17 points Cameron Boozer who is a freshman who is a forward was 7-14 on field goals , 2-4 on 3 pointers , 2-4 on free throws to go along 8 rebounds, 4 assists , 18 points shared his thoughts by saying We needed a game like this,”An elite defensive performance, a lot of effort. They’re a great team, second in our league, so we saw this as a championship game coming in and played with that kind of energy. It was a great team win overall.”
Following Duke handing Clemson their first loss on the road in Atlantic Coast Conference play in 2025 -2026 season as Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer scored 18, 12, 17 points Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell shared his thoughts by saying We just could not score enough to put any game pressure on them,”
Though,
Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell wasn’t the only Head Coach to share his thoughts as Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer did as well by saying I thought our defense was top-notch today,”“I thought we made it very difficult on them.Our defense made them take some tough shots, and we just had to keep going. That was exactly the kind of game I thought it would be.”
I thought their physicality knocked us back with some softer finishes and a couple of wasted possessions, a couple of turnovers,”
But our defense was right there. They scored 26 points.”We have to be an inside/outside team,”But they make it hard on you, make it hard to get in the paint and get the shots you want. In the second half, we did a better job of just settling in and playing to our strengths. “There was much better balance. We settled a little too much in the first half.”
According to Chip Alexander News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article314631238.html
Tip -off is set for 9:30pm from Spectrum Center home of NBA’s Charlotte Hornets!
The game is going to be televised on ESPN2 with with Dave O Brien, Cory Alexander, Molly McGrath commentating!
Dave O’Brien serves as a play-by-play commentator for ESPN, calling college basketball and other marquee events across ESPN platforms. One of the most versatile and respected voices in sports broadcasting, O’Brien has been a trusted presence on national broadcasts for more than two decades.
O’Brien joined ESPN in 2002 and has called a wide range of events for the network, including college basketball, Major League Baseball, and select NCAA Championships.
In addition to his work with ESPN, O’Brien is also the television voice of the Boston Red Sox on NESN, a role he has held since 2016. Over his distinguished career, he has called MLB postseason games on both television and radio, the World Series, and numerous NCAA Tournament matchups, as well as NBA, NFL, and international soccer broadcasts.
A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, O’Brien began his professional career in radio before moving into national television.
A native of Quincy, Massachusetts, O’Brien resides in the Boston area with his family.
Cory Alexander joined ESPN in 2009, working as college basketball analyst on ESPN and ACC Network.
Before joining ESPN, Alexander worked as an analyst for the University of Virginia radio network and was an ACC Network commentator for Raycom Sports. He launched the Cory Alexander Basketball School in August 1995 and he still operates it as the owner and president.
His last season in the NBA came with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004-2005, and he previously played for the Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets. His first three seasons were spent with the San Antonio Spurs after they drafted him 29th overall in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft.
A 1995 graduate from the University of Virginia with a bachelor of science degree in psychology, Alexander is a native Waynesboro, Va. A four-year letterwinner, he ranks eighth in UVA history with 401 assists and 24th on their all-time scoring list with 1,286 points. Alexander earned second-team All-ACC honors and a gold medal at the FIBA U21 World Championship in 1993. Alexander was a McDonald’s All-American and Parade First Team All-American in 1991 at Oak Hill Academy (Va.).
Molly McGrath joined ESPN in July 2016, and currently serves as the sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC Saturday college football games. She previously hosted various editions of College Football Live and College Basketball Live, and covered select games as a sideline reporter for XFL on ABC. McGrath used to report from the sidelines of ESPN’s Thursday night college football package and regularly served as a sideline reporter on ABC and ESPN for men’s college basketball.
McGrath, who worked as a production assistant at ESPN in 2011, returns after serving as a sideline reporter and host for college sports and the NFL with Fox Sports. Prior to her time at Fox Sports, she worked for the Boston Celtics as a web and in-arena reporter at the TD Garden while also hosting Celtics Now on Comcast SportsNet New England in 2012 and 2013. She also completed internships with NESN and WHDH-TV in Boston.
McGrath graduated from Boston College in 2011, where she received the Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Excellence. She resides in Seattle with her husband and son.
According to https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/dave-obrien/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/cory-alexander/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/molly-mcgrath/