CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville, 73-62, on Saturday night to clinch its second ACC Tournament championship in three seasons under Jon Scheyer.
It was Duke’s 23rd ACC title overall — the most of any team in conference history — and five more than rival North Carolina, whom the Blue Devils knocked off 74-71 in a semifinal thriller.
Sion James added 15 points for Duke (31-3), which played its final two tournament games without ACC Player of the Year Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown because of injuries.
Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 29 points on five 3s for Louisville (27-7), which was playing in its first ACC final since joining the league in 2014. The Cardinals went 18-2 in the conference play during the regular season under first-year head coach Pat Kelsey after going 5-37 vs. ACC foes in the previous two seasons.
There were nine lead changes, and neither team led by more than five before Duke broke the game open with a 12-0 run midway through the second half behind a 3 from Proctor in transition to build a 57-47 lead.
