Survive and advance: Duke holds off Florida State in ACC 

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

North Mecklenburg High graduate Isaiah Evans scored a game-high 32 points to lift Duke to an 80-79 win against Florida State in the ACC basketball quarterfinals March 12, 2026, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Shorthanded Duke had to hang on to advance in the ACC tournament.

Duke (30-2) — the No. 1 team in the nation — found themselves down eight points to Florida State (18-15) with 13:01 to go in the game. A 19-2 run put the Blue Devils back in control. But the Seminoles found a way to get within striking distance. 

Up 80-79 with 37 seconds remaining, Duke’s Cameron Boozer shot was blocked, and Florida State had a chance to win late. Robert McCray V missed a jump shot as time expired. 

Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said that it would be easy to dwell on the absence of center Patrick Ngongba and guard Caleb Foster, but that isn’t what they’ll do. The Blue Devils will face the Clemson-North Carolina winner in the semifinal round on Friday. 

“You can be disappointed for Caleb or Pat and for the team,” Scheyer said, “or you can get to the next play and control what you can control. Ultimately, we have to have their backs. Caleb was in every huddle, talking. He was incredible. Pat’s energy was great. That is what we put our focus towards. There’s no excuses. We have to step up with the team that we’ve got… and we’ve got to figure this thing out.”

Duke guard Isaiah Evans, a North Mecklenburg High graduate, always plays well at Spectrum Center. He led all scorers with 32 points, and the Blue Devils needed every single one of them. 

“It’s March,” Evans said. “So, it’s not really time for excuses. You just have to figure out how to execute Duke basketball, offensively and defensively.”

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The Duke pep band at the ACC tournament quarterfinal game between the Blue Devils and Florida State. Duke won 80-79.

Scheyer joked that he downplays Charlotte to Evans every time Duke comes to town, just to get Evans going. Evans’ productivity suggests that whatever Scheyer says works. 

“He has hit big shots in every building we’ve played in,” Scheyer said. “But I do think there’s a different look in his eye when he’s here, there’s no question. When we go to Chicago (Scheyer’s hometown), he always tries to tell me it’s not that great of a city. I love Charlotte, by the way. But, to him, I try to tell him it’s not that great just to get his juices flowing, and it’s been great to us. Hopefully we can keep that going tomorrow.”

Cayden Boozer stepped into a starting role with Foster out. He finished with nine points, three rebounds and an assist. Some of his biggest moments were down the stretch. With a minute left, he grabbed an offensive rebound, for a layup to put Duke up three. His brother Cameron said the biggest thing with Cayden was to encourage him and keep him confident. 

“I think it’s tough when a team spies on you,” Cameron Boozer said. “I think it messes with your mind a little bit. I’ll just tell him to play with some confidence. When you’re open, shoot it, attack, and be aggressive. [Florida State] is doing that for a reason because they don’t think they can guard us straight up. I think he kind of found something in the second half… and he had a big time rebound at the end. So, we just have to be able to find a rhythm going forward.” 

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