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Blue Devil Country

Social Media Reacts to Duke's First Game in ACC Tournament

After losing both its starting point guard, Caleb Foster, and center Patrick Ngongba, Duke plays its first ACC tournament game against a hot Florida State team.
Luke Joseph|
Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on during the first half against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on during the first half against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

Duke won the ACC regular season with a 17-1 record in the ACC. While the Blue Devils got their revenge against rival North Carolina, it came at a cost, with both Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba going down with injury. Both Ngobgba and Foster will miss the tournament, putting pressure on Cameron Boozer to produce at a higher rate than he has all season.

Duke plays its first game against Florida State, who have won its last four games and isf fighting for a chance to get into the NCAA tournament.

Lets see how the Duke fans react to the Blue Devils game

At the first TV timeout, Duke has gotten off to a good start with an 11-7 lead. Isaiah Evans leads the Blue Devils with seven points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field while also grabbing an offensive rebound and getting the put-back basket.

Florida State scores on its next two possessions tying the game up at 11.

Getting the start with Caleb Foster out, Cayden Boozer would struggle. Boozer would go 0-3 from three and would pick up two fouls, forcing Jon Scheyer to bring in Isiah Evans and Darren Harris.

Duke would get four opportunities to score, and Isaiah Evans finally knocks down a shot to put the Blue Devils up 18-17.

Duke is struggling from the free throw line through the first ten minutes of the first half, shooting 3-7 from the stripe.

Duke is dominating on the offensive glass with eight offensive rebounds to Florida States' one.

Isaiah Evans is having the best first half of his career high 22 points of the Blue Devils 39 on 7-11 shooting from the field and 5-9 from three.

At the end of the first half, Duke would be down 44-43. The biggest problems for the Blue Devils are both free throw and three-point shooting. The Blue Devils are shooting 6-19 from three with Isaiah Evans making five, and going 11-20 from the stripe.

2nd Half

Florida State would build on its lead and go up as much as five through the first five minutes of the second half.

Florida State goes on a 9-2 scoring run and goes up 59-51 with 13 minutes remaining, forcing Jon Scheyer to call a timeout.

After the timeout, Duke comes roaring back going on a 7-0 run to bring the deficit down to 59-58.

Duke builds on its 7-0 lead as they go on a 13-2 run to retake the lead 64-61.

Duke would continue to score and build on its lead going up as much as 10 points.

Florida State continues to fight and making it a five point game with four minutes left.

In the final seconds of the game, Duke hangs on to win. After a questionable call not to call a timeout, Cameron Boozer gets blocked. However, Florida State has to put up a contested shot and misses. Duke wins 80-79.

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Luke Joseph
LUKE JOSEPH

Luke Joseph is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of sports and commitment to storytelling, he serves as a general sports reporter On SI, covering the NFL and college athletics with insight and expertise.