The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils secured their second straight outright ACC regular season title with a commanding 93-64 victory over the NC State Wolfpack on Monday night in Raleigh. Despite an early deficit, Duke pulled away in the first half and extended their lead in the second. Four Blue Devils players scored in double figures in the win.
The game took place at the Lenovo Center, where the unranked NC State Wolfpack hosted the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils. Duke entered with a 27-2 overall record and 15-1 in the ACC, while NC State stood at 19-11 overall and 10-7 in conference play. This victory marked Duke's seventh consecutive win.
Early in the contest, Duke trailed by four points as NC State's Darrion Williams and their three-point shooting posed challenges. However, the Blue Devils adjusted, building a 27-22 lead by the under-8 media timeout of the first half. Freshman guard Dame Sarr contributed eight points on 2-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc, with six different Duke players already scoring by that point.
Duke continued their momentum, leading 47-30 at halftime. Sarr and freshman forward Cameron Boozer combined for 25 points, with Sarr adding six rebounds and Boozer recording five rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers. This halftime lead was Duke's 15th straight, the longest streak since their 2014-15 national championship season.
In the second half, Duke opened with a 6-0 run in the first two minutes, extending the advantage to 53-30. NC State, under first-year head coach Will Wade, struggled to counter Duke's offense led by Jon Scheyer.
Final scoring for Duke included Cameron Boozer with 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists; Dame Sarr with 16 points, eight rebounds, and 3-for-5 from three; sophomore Isaiah Evans with 12 points on 4-for-8 three-point shooting; and sophomore Patrick Ngongba II with 11 points and five rebounds. The win clinched the ACC regular season crown for Duke for the second consecutive year.
Duke's next matchup is the regular season finale against the No. 17 UNC Tar Heels on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET in Cameron Indoor Stadium, airing on ESPN.
