Duke defeats Louisville to claim 23rd ACC Tournament title

Duke coasted to its 23rd ACC Tournament title, and the second under Jon Scheyer, on Saturday against Louisville. The Blue Devils built up a double-digit lead in the second half and maintained it until the end as their veteran players stepped up in the absence of an injured Cooper Flagg in a 73-62 win.

Tyrese Proctor led the Blue Devils with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting from 3-point range. Fellow senior Sion James chipped in 15 points and six rebounds.

Duke was tested early in the second half as it trailed 38-33 at halftime But it fought back to tie the game at 45 with 14:16 remaining. The Blue Devils would go on from there to start a 12-2 run from that moment until the 11:08 mark to take back the reigns of the game.

Patrick Ngongba II connected on two free throws with 13:15 on the clock, pushing Duke back in front, 49-47. A James triple from the corner made it a quick seven-point burst by the Blue Devils and forced a Louisville timeout with Duke in front, 52-47. Proctor’s fifth triple and a Knueppel layup extended the scoring run to 12 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Proctor set a new career high for made three-pointers, with his sixth of the game, to increase Duke’s advantage to 11, 60-49. Duke’s defense held Louisville with a made field goal for near five minutes before the Cardinals snapped the skid with a three-pointer with 5:36 on the clock.

Duke’s lead only continued to grow from there as it managed the game well down the stretch. The Cardinals were eventually forced to foul in order to extend their slim chance at winning, to no avial.

“I just thought we came out in the second half and were just so tough, played together, and for us to be tested the last three games the way that we have, I think we’re going to learn a ton from it, and it gives us extra motivation and lessons to move forward,” coach Jon Scheyer said postgame. “But I’m just proud of these guys.  They deserve it.”

Kon Knueppel was also a big factor for Duke with 18 points and eight boards. It marked the first time that Duke finished as both regular season and tournament champions in the ACC since 2006.

Duke will now await to find out it’s path to the championship when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed Sunday. The Blue Devils are projected as a No. 1 seed and, with Flagg expected back, should be one of the favorites. The Selection Show is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS.