By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In an ACC championship game for the ages, second-seeded Virginia stayed step for step with No. 1 seed Duke, the nation’s top-ranked team, most of the way, and the score was 66-66 with three minutes to play.
Competing chants of “Let’s go, Hoos!” and “Let’s go, Duke!” ratcheted up the volume inside Spectrum Center as fans breathlessly awaited a tense finish late Saturday night.
The conference’s top two teams didn’t disappoint. With 5.8 seconds to play, it was a two-point game, with the Cavaliers chasing the Blue Devils. But UVA couldn’t come up with a steal and had to foul, and Cameron Boozer’s two free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining closed the scoring in the Devils' 74-70 victory.
"That was a heavyweight fight," Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said. "I think people know that Virginia is really good, but I don't think everybody does. So they tested us in every way."
Ryan Odom, who’s in his first year as UVA's head coach, said his players "stood tall. We obviously didn't win. Duke made the plays that they needed to make down the stretch to finish it out. I thought we had a good opportunity there when it was tied, but it just didn't go our way today ... We’re very disappointed right now, but looking forward to what's next.”
The field for the NCAA tournament will be announced Sunday night, and Virginia (29-5), ranked 10th nationally, is expected to be no worse than a No. 4 seed.
“We’ve got a lot more basketball to play, so we’ve just got to learn from it,” said guard Malik Thomas, who led the Hoos with 18 points, “We’ve got to go home, rest our bodies, and then just learn from our mistakes, learn what it takes to win these type of games.”
Point guard Dallin Hall said the Wahoos are “fortunate enough that we get to keep playing for something even bigger now. But just to have it so close, and let it slip, definitely hurts. Gotta take it and learn from it.”
Left their mark 👊#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/FQcfLxnaha
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 15, 2026
Duke (32-2), which has won two straight ACC championships, is a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs.
To lose such a tight game with the Blue Devils “stings a little bit,” UVA forward Devin Tillis, “but I think there's some happiness, too, because we know we can play with anybody in the country. I think the first time playing them, we were a little flustered playing in Cameron Indoor [Stadium]. It's a little different type of energy and different type of nerves that go into that one.”
In that game, Feb. 28 in Durham, N.C., the Cavaliers never led in a 77-51 loss to the Blue Devils. The rematch had 16 lead changes.
“I think we were ready this time,” Tillis said. “We knew we could compete with them and we should be on the floor with them. I think that showed a little bit tonight, but I still think there's an extra gear that our team can kick into for sure.”
For the game, UVA was 14 for 16 from the line. But with 51 seconds to play and Virginia trailing 70-68, Thomas missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Duke rebounded.
Had the Hoos secured the ACC title, the tournament MVP award might well have gone to center Ugonna Onyenso. In Virginia's three games in Charlotte, the 7-footer blocked a tournament-record 21 shots, breaking the mark of 14 set by Tim Duncan, who played at Wake Forest for Odom’s father, Dave, in 1995.
Onyenso took pride in his achievement, “but at the end of the day, we didn't come up with the win,” he said. “Blocking shots is what I do, and I'm really good at it. Opportunities like this helps me showcase the fact that I'm still good at it if I'm playing against the top players in the league.”
20 blocks and counting 📈@UVAMensHoops Ugonna Onyenso breaks the ACC Tournament record, passing Tim Duncan’s 14 from 1995. pic.twitter.com/kbuqyz4sPS
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 15, 2026
A transfer from Kansas State, Onyenso blocked eight shots against NC State in the quarterfinals, four against Miami in the semifinals, and nine against Duke.
“He pushes our team to another level,” said junior swingman Sam Lewis, who hit 7 of 11 shots Saturday, including three treys, and scored 17 points.
Onyenso, who goes by Ugo, “was a beast today,” Ryan Odom said after the championship game. “He was absolutely incredible.”
Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, the ACC Player of the Year, wouldn't argue with that assessment. He was only 3 of 17 from the floor against UVA, largely because of Onyenso’s defensive presence. No. 33 blocked five of the 6-foot-9 Boozer’s shots.
“I definitely got frustrated,” Boozer said, “but first of all I've got give props to him. He's a great defender, great shot-blocker. I think there's a lot I can learn from this game, but I just want to keep attacking, keep attacking, figure it out, find other ways to win.”
Boozer totaled eight assists and eight rebounds, both game highs, and five of those boards came at the offensive end. The Blue Devils’ dominance on the glass hurt the Cavaliers as much as anything in the title game. Duke grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and 41 overall. Virginia finished with 31 boards.
“In these type of games I think it just comes down to 50-50 balls,” Thomas said, “and we didn't come up with those. We lost the rebounding battle. And I think that determined the game.”