No. 1 seed Duke defeated No. 8 seed Florida State 80-79 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals on March 12, 2026, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Florida State nearly forced overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer that rimmed out. The Seminoles ended their season with an 18-15 record, while Duke improved to 30-2.
The game featured intense back-and-forth action, with 16 lead changes and nine ties. Florida State led 44-43 at halftime, powered by 16 points from Lajae Jones and 11 from Robert McCray V. Isaiah Evans scored 22 points for Duke in the first half.
In the second half, Florida State pushed ahead by eight points at the 13:01 mark on a three-pointer by McCray, the largest lead of the game to that point. Duke responded with a 19-2 run over the next five minutes, taking a 70-61 lead with 7:59 remaining. The Seminoles rallied, making six of their final eight shots to close the gap to one point twice in the last 90 seconds but could not regain the lead.
Robert McCray V launched a three-pointer at the buzzer that rimmed out, sealing the one-point victory for Duke. Duke led for just under 22 minutes, compared to Florida State's just over 14 minutes.
Jones led Florida State with 28 points, followed by McCray's 25 points and Chauncey Wiggins' 13 points. Alex Steen contributed eight rebounds, four steals, and two blocks despite scoring only two points. The Seminoles shot 51.9% from the field (28-of-54), 39.3% from three (11-of-28), and 66.7% from the free-throw line (12-of-18). They had 25 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 turnovers, 11 steals, and five blocks.
For Duke, Evans tallied 32 points, while Cameron Boozer recorded 23 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Maliq Brown added 12 rebounds despite four points, stepping up due to injuries to starting point guard Caleb Foster and big man Patrick Ngongba II. Duke shot 43.8% from the field (28-of-64), 29.4% from three (10-of-34), and 60.9% from the line (14-of-23). They dominated rebounding 46-25, including 22 offensive boards leading to 24 second-chance points.
Duke had 17 assists and 15 turnovers, while Florida State forced 18 points off those turnovers. The Blue Devils won both regular-season meetings against the Seminoles, including a 91-87 victory in January. All-time, Duke leads the series 47-11, winning 11 of the last 12.
Florida State coach Luke Loucks praised his team's resilience: "A tough way to finish that game, but I am so proud of these guys. The way they battled throughout this match, but most importantly the way they battled through the second-half of this season." The Seminoles won four of their last five games and 11 of their final 15. Duke, on a nine-game winning streak, advances to face the winner of North Carolina versus Clemson in the semifinals.
