The Seminoles can’t hold down the star freshman, who dominates the conference tournament.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Zion Williamson proved he’s back and healthy with a dominating three-game show at the ACC tournament. And that has fifth-ranked Duke celebrating yet another championship in its already-record haul.
Williamson had 21 points to help the No. 3 seed Blue Devils beat No. 4 Florida State 73-63 Saturday night in the championship game, giving Duke its 21st tournament title while sending the Blue Devils charging into the NCAA Tournament.
And point guard Tre Jones had his own strong outing with 18 points and six assists, all part of Duke’s closing act that showed the Blue Devils — with Williamson healthy after missing nearly six full games with a knee sprain — are ready for what’s ahead.
It started with a quarterfinal win against Syracuse, with Williamson going for 29 points on 13-for-13 shooting in his first game back. Then came an even bigger performance in the semifinals: 31 points, 11 rebounds and the final-minute tip-in that ultimately helped Duke hold off No. 2 seed North Carolina in a rivalry classic.
Mfiondu Kabengele scored 14 points for the Seminoles (27-7). They upset top seed Virginia a day earlier in the semifinals but couldn’t recover after falling behind big, getting no closer than five again.
FSU: The Seminoles had been rolling since a 1-4 ACC start in January, winning 14 of 15 games with the only loss coming at North Carolina. And they controlled most of the game against the Cavaliers, shooting nearly 57 percent to tear through Virginia’s stout defense. On Saturday they managed to stay with Duke for a half before fading as the Blue Devils made their title-clinching move. FSU made just 8 of 32 shots (25 percent) after halftime as Duke’s defensive pressure caused problems, while the Seminoles’ defense had trouble getting its own stops as Duke got out in transition more.
Duke: This tournament was all about the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson, whose Feb. 20 knee sprain against the Tar Heels — that included the image of his left foot tearing through the side of his shoe as he fell to the court — had threatened to derail the title potential of a team that has spent a national-best seven weeks at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. But Williamson’s return restored that confident edge that reaches throughout Duke’s lineup at both ends of the court, from his high-flying dunks to his rim-protecting leaps to swat away shots.