### BREAKING: Duke Blue Devils Claim 23rd ACC Tournament Title with 73-62 Victory Over Louisville 😈 – First Team Since 2018 to Sweep Regular Season and Tournament Crowns
**CHARLOTTE, N.C. – March 15, 2025** – In a display of championship resilience and depth that silenced doubters, the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils captured their conference-record 23rd ACC Tournament championship on Saturday night, defeating the Cinderella No. 13 Louisville Cardinals 73-62 at Spectrum Center. Playing without preseason ACC Player of the Year and projected NBA No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg – sidelined by a sprained ankle – and key reserve Maliq Brown (dislocated shoulder), Duke (31-3) rallied from a halftime deficit with a suffocating second-half defense to complete the rare regular-season and tournament double, the first ACC team to do so since Virginia in 2018.
Junior guard Tyrese Proctor, who entered the night 0-for-12 from three in the tournament, erupted for a career-high six triples en route to 19 points, earning All-Tournament honors and silencing any narrative that Duke was a one-man show. Freshman sensation Kon Knueppel added 17 points, while transfer Sion James chipped in 15 on efficient shooting. The Blue Devils outscored Louisville 40-24 after intermission, holding the Cardinals to a woeful 25.7% from the field in the second half and forcing nine lead changes into oblivion with a decisive 12-0 run midway through the frame.
“This group just showed unbelievable toughness,” said third-year head coach Jon Scheyer, who became the first ACC coach to win two tournament titles in his first three seasons. “No Cooper, no Maliq – guys stepped up in ways they’ll remember forever. Winning the outright regular season and now this? It’s special. We’re built for March.”
The victory marks Duke’s second ACC Tournament crown in three years under Scheyer (2023, 2025) and their sixth in Charlotte, tying a venue record. More importantly, it caps a dominant wire-to-wire ACC campaign where the Blue Devils went 19-1 in league play, clinching the outright regular-season title with a road win at rival North Carolina – their first such sweep since the 2005-06 squad led by J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams.
The championship game – a rematch of sorts from earlier neutral-site meetings – started as a track meet. Louisville (27-7), riding an 11-game winning streak and fresh off upsets of higher seeds, jumped out aggressively behind guard Terrence Edwards Jr., who poured in 22 points, including 15 in a frantic first half that saw the Cardinals lead 38-33 at the break. Chucky Hepburn added 14, but the duo combined for just 12 second-half points as Duke’s length – anchored by 7-foot-2 freshman Khaman Maluach’s rim protection – took over.
Proctor’s breakthrough came early in the second stanza. After missing his first 12 tournament threes, the Australian guard drained back-to-back bombs to spark the 12-0 burst that flipped a 47-45 deficit into a 57-47 lead. Knueppel’s pull-up jumpers and James’ mid-range daggers kept Louisville at bay, while Duke’s bench – including standout performances from Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II – provided the energy Flagg normally supplies.
Defensively, the story was Duke’s adjustment. Louisville shot 55% in the first half but crumbled under relentless ball pressure and help-side rotations, missing 26 of 35 attempts after halftime. The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle 38-32 and limited second-chance points to just eight, turning what could have been a Cardinals upset into a clinic on postseason execution.
“This proves we’re not just Cooper,” Proctor said postgame, hoisting the trophy amid confetti. “We’ve got dogs everywhere. This is fuel for what’s next.”
For Louisville and first-year coach Pat Kelsey, the run to the final was a resounding success – their deepest ACC Tournament push since joining the league in 2014 – but the glass slipper shattered against Duke’s depth. “They’re the best team in the country for a reason,” Kelsey said. “We fought, but they made plays when it mattered.”
The path to No. 23 wasn’t easy. Duke opened Thursday with a workmanlike win over Georgia Tech, where Flagg’s ankle injury occurred early. Friday’s semifinal delivered classic Tobacco Road drama: a 74-71 thriller over fifth-seeded North Carolina, completing a season sweep of the Tar Heels for the first time since 2001-02. Knueppel’s 28 points in the quarterfinals without Flagg foreshadowed the supporting cast’s heroics.
Statistically, Duke’s dominance was clear: 44% shooting overall, 10 threes (six from Proctor alone), and a 17-9 assist-to-turnover edge in the second half. Maluach added 10 points and eight boards, while the Blue Devils’ 31 wins tie for the third-most in program history before the NCAA Tournament.
Scheyer, cutting down the nets for the second time as head coach after doing so as a player in 2010, now turns attention to Selection Sunday. Duke is a lock for a No. 1 seed – potentially in Raleigh – with Flagg expected back at full strength. “He’s available for the NCAA Tournament,” confirmed NCAA VP Dan Gavitt, easing concerns about the freshman’s status.
This title further cements Duke’s ACC supremacy: 23 tournament crowns (five more than UNC’s 18), and now the first double since Virginia’s 2018 squad under Tony Bennett. It’s Scheyer’s statement win in a season that began with sky-high expectations around Flagg but ended with proof of program-wide excellence.
Cameron Indoor South – aka Spectrum Center – erupted as “Everytime We Touch” blared and players tossed championship hats into the sea of Duke blue. Flagg, suited on the bench all weekend, grinned widest of all, foam finger in hand.
The Blue Devils aren’t done. With hardware in tow and lessons in adversity banked, Duke heads to the Big Dance as the team no one wants to see – especially with their superstar set to return.
Up next: Selection Sunday, March 16 at 6 p.m. ET on CBS. The quest for banner No. 6 begins.
(Word count: 1,018)
Leave a Reply