Duke Must Dominate Clemson To Restore National Championship Expectations

The Blue Devils are losing some of its championship backers after close call against Florida State

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Martin Somerville (1) and Duke basketball guard Isaiah Evans (3) react in the second half at Spectrum Center. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It was less than a week ago when the consensus among some of college basketball’s experts that it was Duke’s National Championship to lose.

Then, Friday night it was revealed that starting center Pat Ngongba was unlikely to play against North Carolina in the regular season finale. On Saturday, starting guard Caleb Foster broke his foot and on Monday Jon Scheyer revealed that neither would play in the ACC Tournament and their status for the NCAA Tournament was unclear.

Fast forward to Thursday night and the new-look Blue Devils were pushed to the brink against Florida State, who missed a potential game winning shot in the final seconds.

Now, there are more questions than ever surrounding Duke outside of its dynamic duo of Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans.

“It was a different game for us,” Scheyer said after the one-point victory. “We had different lineups. We were in some positions we haven't been in all year, down eight second half. I think the character that our guys showed in that moment was big time”

The Blue Devils only used a seven-man rotation against the Seminoles and rode a combined 55 points from Evans and Boozer to the finish line.

It felt similar to its start of the ACC Tournament last season in which Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown were injured in the first half against Georgia Tech. Duke trailed by as many as 14 points in the game before rallying and eventually winning the ACC Tournament.

Could this team follow the same recipe?

The hope is that Pat Ngongba is ready to play next week, which Flagg was last season at the start of the NCAA Tournament, and there is an outside chance Foster could return in the Final Four if the Blue Devils advance that far. Brown, last year, got back on the floor for the Elite Eight.

Regardless of when its injured players return, it feels like Duke will need a convincing victory over Clemson in the semifinals to restore some belief in the college basketball world that this team can still compete for a title in its current version.

If the Blue Devils get upset or have another tight game there will only be more questions that surround its National Championship expectations.