RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Star freshman Cameron Boozer scored 26 points and No. 1 Duke shot 55.2 percent from the field to beat North Carolina State 93-64 for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title on Monday night.
The Blue Devils (28-2, 16-1) defeated No. 13 Virginia over the weekend to lock up the No. 1 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament. Duke followed suit, overwhelming the Wolfpack by attacking NC State’s zone from the perimeter and then into the paint in what has become a signature advantage.
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Boozer made 8 of 10 shots from the field, 9 of 11 from the free throw line, and grabbed 9 rebounds – and in the second half, he suffered multiple long, thick scratches on his right shoulder.
Duke shot 11 of 28 from 3-point range and Sir Sal contributed 14 of his 16 points before halftime.
The Blue Devils went on a 9-0 run late in the first half to extend their lead to double digits before Sarr hit a corner 3 from the right and then Nick Hamenia hit a 3 from the left to take a 47-30 halftime lead.
Duke erased any lingering doubts by hitting its final five shots before halftime and then its first five after the break, including Isaiah Evans’ 3-pointer that made it 56-32 at 17:32.
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Darion Williams scored 17 points for the Wolfpack (19-11, 10-7), who continued a late-season slide in head coach Will Wade’s first season. NC State shot 35.4 percent from the field and 7 of 29 from 3-point range, losing for the fifth time in six games, including a 41-point loss to then-No. 1 University. 24 Louisville and a 29-point loss to Virginia last week.
No. 2 Arizona State 73 6 Iowa State 57
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Jaden Bradley scored 17 points, Motiejus Krivas added 13 and Arizona State beat No. 6 Iowa State to clinch the Big 12 regular-season title.
The Wildcats (28-2, 15-2) clinched at least a share of the conference title on Saturday by beating No. 14 Kansas 84-61 on Saturday in a big first-half victory.
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Arizona’s defense held down Iowa State, giving Tommy Lloyd his 140th win, the most by a coach in his first five seasons in NCAA history.
The Cyclones (24-6, 11-6), coming off their first home loss of the season, shot 29 percent from the field, including 7 of 30 from 3-point range, against Arizona’s physical defense.
Tamin Lipsey led Iowa State with 17 points, but leading scorer Milan Momcilovic had just five points on 2-for-8 shooting. He is the best three-point shooter in the country, shooting 51% from three-point range and 1 of 5 from beyond the arc.
