No. 1 Duke survived a 80-79 win over Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals after a Seminoles’ buzzer-beater rimmed out. This comparison — florida state vs duke — asks whether Duke’s rebounding and bench plays or Florida State’s perimeter scoring and late runs better explain the one-point result; Isaiah Evans, Cameron Boozer, Lajae Jones and Robert McCray V are central to that question.
Duke: Isaiah Evans, Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown turned momentum
Duke leaned on Isaiah Evans and Cameron Boozer to steady an otherwise turbulent night. Evans made seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 32 points, and Boozer added 23 points and 10 rebounds. Maliq Brown supplied momentum with two key defensive plays and a 19-2 run in the second half after Duke trailed by eight with 13 minutes left; Brown finished with 12 rebounds. The Blue Devils outrebounded Florida State 46-25 and improved to 30-2, while coping with the absence of starters Caleb Foster, out indefinitely with a broken right foot, and Patrick Ngongba II, who sat out the tournament with a foot issue.
Florida State: Lajae Jones and Robert McCray V kept the Seminoles close
Florida State relied on its scorers to push the game to the final second. Lajae Jones scored 28 points and Robert McCray V finished with 25, and the Seminoles led 35-34 at halftime before building a 59-51 edge seven minutes into the second half. Florida State converted 11 of 28 from three-point range, and McCray had a 3 at the buzzer that rimmed out after Chauncey Wiggins blocked Boozer with seven seconds left. The Seminoles’ shooting and late defensive stops produced multiple lead changes and left them awaiting postseason placement; Florida State currently awaits a potential bid to the NIT.
Florida State Vs Duke: Where rebounding, shooting and late defense diverged
Placing the teams side by side clarifies which elements mattered most in the one-point game. Both teams generated high-end scoring: Evans’s 32 and Jones’s 28 anchored offensive efforts, but Duke’s margin on the glass and Brown’s defensive swings shifted possession and scoring opportunities in Duke’s favor. Florida State’s 11-for-28 mark on 3s fueled its comeback chances, yet the Blue Devils’ 46-25 rebounding edge limited second-chance points for the Seminoles and created extra possessions for Duke.
| Measure | Duke | Florida State |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 80 | 79 |
| Top individual scoring | Isaiah Evans, 32 | Lajae Jones, 28 |
| Team rebounds | 46 | 25 |
Comparing the numbers shows a clear trade-off: Florida State matched or exceeded Duke in perimeter scoring bursts, while Duke dominated the glass and generated momentum through defensive plays. Those are complementary but competing advantages; the game’s close finish underscores how a single missed shot at the buzzer — McCray’s attempt that rimmed out — can mask larger structural differences in team composition.
Finding: The comparison establishes that Duke’s rebounding and bench defense were the decisive edges in a one-point win, even when Florida State’s shooting and late scoring pushed the game to the wire. Duke will next face the winner of Clemson and No. 24 North Carolina on Friday; Florida State awaits a potential NIT bid. If Duke maintains the rebounding margins and defensive contributions from players like Maliq Brown, the comparison suggests Duke is likelier to advance further in the tournament, while Florida State will need higher three-point efficiency or more second-chance scoring to reverse that dynamic.
