Shorthanded Duke Basketball Squad Exhibits Resiliency Versus Seminoles

Duke basketball's quest for a 24th ACC Tournament championship continues in Charlotte.

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) reacts after scoring as Florida State Seminoles forward Alex Steen (25) is in the foreground in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The banged-up No. 1 seed Duke basketball squad, playing at the ACC Tournament without the services of two regular season starters in junior guard Caleb Foster and sophomore center Patrick Ngonba II, showed it knows how battle from behind in March. After trailing at halftime and throughout the first half of the second half, the Blue Devils answered with a 80-79 win over the No. 8 seed Florida State Seminoles in their quarterfinal bout in Charlotte's Spectrum Center on Thursday night.

Sophomore Isaiah Evans delivered buckets early. Freshmen Nikolas Khamenia and Cameron Boozer soon followed suit. However, as a team, Duke missed nine of its 20 free throw attempts in the first half, and after going back and forth with the Seminoles to the tune of 15 lead changes and nine ties across the first 20 minutes of action, Jon Scheyer and his fourth batch of Blue Devils entered the locker room with a 44-43 halftime deficit in tow.

SLIM 👌👌👌👌 (he's got 19 of our 35) pic.twitter.com/ERuEy5Z8X6

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 12, 2026

At the half, Evans led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 5-for-9 beyond the arc. Boozer was the only other Blue Devil with double-digit points in the first half, adding five rebounds, two assists, and one steal, and Khamenia chipped in with seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 15 minutes off the bench.

Duke Basketball Bounces Back With Authority in Second Half

Duke basketball fell behind Florida State, 54-49, at the first media timeout of the second half. But the Blue Devils took momentum into the second media timeout, climbing back from an eight-point to deficit to pull within one of the Seminoles at 59-58 after Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans combined forces to fuel an 8-0 run.

Roughly a minute later, Duke snagged its first lead of the half and never looked back. The suddenly energized Blue Devils enjoyed an 18-2 run to seize a 69-61 advantage at the under-8 timeout; at that juncture, Evans had already notched a new career-high scoring total with 29 points.

SHOWTIME IN CLT

⏱️ Career-high 29 for Slim (previous high was 28 at FSU) pic.twitter.com/Rj9YSwEUV9

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 13, 2026

And the Blue Devils refused to let go of the lead, although the Seminoles didn't fade away without a fight as they pulled to within one at 78-77 with less than 90 seconds to play in the game. But ultimately, Florida State missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer.

Only two Duke players recorded double-digit points in the contest: Isaiah Evans (32 points, six rebounds) and Cameron Boozer (23 points and 10 boards).

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) goes to the basket against Florida State Seminoles guard Thomas Bassong (3) during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Blue Devil freshman guard Cayden Boozer, starting in place of the injured Foster, finished with nine points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two turnovers.

Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils (30-2, 18-1 versus the ACC, including Thursday night) will now gear up for a semifinal matchup against Thursday night's winner between the No. 4 seed Clemson Tigers and No. 5 seed UNC Tar Heels at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN or ESPN2).

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer claps during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Scheyer said that Caleb Foster (right fractured foot) probably has no chance to return to game action unless the Blue Devils reach the Final Four in Indianapolis. Scheyer also suggested that Patrick Ngongba II (right foot soreness) is sidelined more as a precautionary measure with the aim of getting him to full strength for the start of the NCAA Tournament next week.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.