CHARLOTTE — Duke basketball’s championship-level defense earned the top-ranked Blue Devils an ACC Tournament championship.
Duke buckled down with a dominant stretch of defense in the second half of a 73-62 win against Louisville on Saturday at Spectrum Center. The Blue Devils (31-3) held the high-scoring Cardinals (27-7) below 70 points for the second time this season to win their 23rd ACC Tournament title.
With the win, Duke’s Jon Scheyer is the first ACC coach to win the ACC Tournament in two of his first three seasons. In 2023, Scheyer became the first person to win an ACC title as a player and coach. He won two titles (2009-10) under former coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have won six ACC Tournament championships in Charlotte.
Here are some observations from Duke's win against Louisville in the ACC Tournament.
Kon Knueppel had an ACC Tournament MVP performance
Duke freshman Kon Knueppel had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the championship game. Through two games in the ACC Tournament, Knueppel averaged 22.5 points on 47.7% shooting, including a 46.6% clip from 3-point range to lead the way after Cooper Flagg missed two games with an ankle injury.
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Tyrese Proctor 3-point shooting vs Louisville at ACC Tournament
Tyrese Proctor has been one of the ACC’s best 3-point shooters throughout the season, but was struggling at Spectrum Center ahead of Saturday’s finale. Proctor was 6 of 29 (20.6%) from long distance across the previous seven games and missed his first 12 shots from beyond the arc before heating up against Louisville. He made a trio of treys in the first half against the Cards and finished with a career-high six 3-pointers.
Louisville’s Terrence Edwards Jr. gave the Cardinals a chance
Louisville’s Terrence Edwards, who had 21 points in the regular-season loss to the Blue Devils, dropped 15 points and played every minute of the first half in the ACC title game. Edwards scored 10 points in the final five minutes, dropping five points during a 7-0 run that helped the Cards take a 38-33 halftime lead. Louisville shot 55% in the first half. Edwards, who had 21 points in the regular season against Duke, had 22 points in the ACC title game with 14:28 left. He scored five points the rest of the way, finishing with 27.
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