The Duke Blue Devils claimed the ACC Tournament Title in Charlotte this weekend. They did so without projected #1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg who was injured in their win over Georgia Tech.
Duke downed Louisville 73-62 after they clamped down defensively. The Blue Devils allowed just 24 2nd half points after trailing 38-33 at the break. They contested the Cardinals outside attempts and held them to 7 of 26 shooting from three.
Duke was active defensively as they got 6 steals and blocked five shots in the game. On offense, the Blue Devils had three players in double figures led by Tyrese Proctor who had a team high 19. Kon Knueppel had 18 points and Sion James added 15. Louisville was led by Terrence Edwards Jr. who had a game high 29 in the losing effort.
Duke is a projected #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They will await Sunday evening's selection show to find out when and where they will play. Louisville is projected to be a 6 seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi after the loss.
Lunardi also has Clemson a 5 seed after their loss to the Cardinals, Friday night. His projection Sunday morning had the ACC getting just three teams in with UNC, Wake Forest and SMU on the wrong side of the bubble. Personally, it would surprise me if UNC got left out.
On the NCAA Tournament will start Tuesday with the "play-in" games. The Tournament gets into full swing Thursday and continues through Sunday.
