Duke Draws MAAC Champion in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament

The Duke Blue Devils are once again champions of the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball 74-70.

The victory marks Duke’s second consecutive ACC tournament title and continues the strong start to the head coaching career of Jon Scheyer. In four seasons leading the Blue Devils, Scheyer has now won three of the last four ACC tournament championships and has reached the title game every season.

At first glance, the box score might suggest that Cameron Boozer carried Duke to another victory, similar to his dominant performance against Virginia earlier this season. However, the biggest performance in the championship game came from his brother, Cayden Boozer.

Cayden Boozer Steps Up

Cayden Boozer delivered the best game of his freshman season in the biggest moment of his career. He scored a career high 16 points while shooting 6 of 12 from the field and playing all 40 minutes.

In addition to scoring, Boozer helped facilitate the offense by recording four assists and grabbing five rebounds. His ability to control the game at point guard played a key role in Duke’s victory.

Although Cayden Boozer played a major role, Duke also received strong contributions from several other players.

Isaiah Evans led the Blue Devils in scoring with 20 points. He shot 6 of 14 from the field and knocked down 4 of 8 attempts from three-point range.

Nikolas Khamenia added nine points off the bench, while Dame Sarr also contributed nine points.

Meanwhile, Cameron Boozer had an uncharacteristically difficult shooting night. He finished with 13 points but struggled from the field, going 3 of 17 and 1 of 5 from three-point range. Despite the shooting struggles, Boozer still made an impact by getting to the free-throw line, where he went 6 of 9, and by adding eight assists and eight rebounds.

Duke Turns Attention to March Madness

With the ACC tournament title secured, Duke now enters the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

The Blue Devils will open the tournament against the No. 16 seed Siena Saints men's basketball, champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Just two years ago, Siena was struggling near the bottom of Division I basketball. The Saints finished the season with a 4-28 record and went 3-17 in conference play, the worst record in program history since moving to Division I in 1976.

Following that season, Siena hired former Syracuse Orange men's basketball assistant coach Gerry McNamara as head coach. Although the Saints finished 14-18 in his first season, there were clear signs of improvement.

This year, McNamara completed the turnaround by leading Siena to its first conference tournament championship since 2010 and securing a spot in the NCAA tournament.

The Saints are led by the backcourt duo of Gavin Doty and Justice Shoats.

Doty leads the team in scoring with 17.9 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range. He also leads the team in rebounding with seven per game.

Shoats averages 13.4 points per game on 46 percent shooting and 36 percent from three-point range while also leading the team with 4.4 assists per game.

Duke enters the NCAA tournament with strong momentum after securing another ACC tournament championship. With contributions from multiple players and continued leadership from the Boozer brothers, the Blue Devils appear well-positioned to begin their March Madness run.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer cuts down the net after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers in the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

However, as the tournament has shown in previous years, even the top seed must remain focused. Siena has already completed an impressive turnaround this season and will look to challenge Duke in the opening round.