MARCH CAME EARLY: Duke Survived A Chaotic, Season-Defining Test Against Wounded Champions—But The Clutch Sequence Exposed Their Biggest Remaining Flaw
DURHAM, N.C. — The calendar reads December 3rd, but the atmosphere inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night was pure, unadulterated March Madness. In a chaotic, heart-stopping ACC/SEC Challenge showdown, the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (9-0) survived a furious 15-point rally by the defending national champion Florida Gators (5-3), securing a nail-biting 67-66 victory that will build resolve—but also rings urgent alarm bells.
This was the ultimate test of early-season mettle. Duke stared down a season-defining defeat after controlling the game for over 30 minutes, and the 60-second sequence that saved their perfect record provided the answers they desperately needed, alongside the one critical flaw they cannot afford to carry deeper into the winter.
The Collapse: How A 15-Point Cushion Evaporated
Duke looked every bit the top-five team in the country during the first half, largely thanks to the phenomenal play of freshman Cameron Boozer. The potential No. 1 NBA pick delivered a dominant two-way performance, ultimately leading all scorers with 29 points while playing a crucial role in closing out the first half on a 17-5 run to give Duke a commanding 36-24 lead.
But the second half saw a complete reversal of fortune. The Gators, led by the relentless Thomas Haugh (24 points) and the clutch shooting of Boogie Fland (16 points, 13 in the second half), seized control of the paint. Florida absolutely mauled Duke on the glass, finishing with a staggering 44-33 rebounding advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds, which generated 13 critical second-chance points after halftime.
Duke’s offense, meanwhile, went cold from the perimeter (finishing 7-of-26 from three) and grew sloppy with the ball (12 turnovers). The disciplined lead melted away until, with just 34 seconds remaining, Fland nailed a go-ahead three-pointer, giving the Gators their first lead since the opening minutes, 66-64. Cameron Indoor went silent. The season was on the brink of disaster.
The Clutch Sequence: Redemption and The Stopper
What happened next defined the game and the narrative of this undefeated team:
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The Redemption Shot (21 seconds left): Head Coach Jon Scheyer called a timeout. The ball went to sophomore Isaiah Evans, a player struggling all night who was sitting at 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. The confidence to call a play for the cold shooter paid off handsomely. Boozer found Evans open on the wing, and Evans, channeling his inner “Slim Shady,” calmly buried the go-ahead three-pointer. It was a seismic shift in momentum, giving Duke the 67-66 lead and providing immense relief after the near-collapse.
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The Final Act of Theft (1.4 seconds left): Florida still had two chances to win. First, guard Caleb Foster forced a turnover, and then, after missing a clutch free throw that gave Florida one last desperation inbound, Duke needed a stop. Enter Maliq Brown. On the final inbounds pass from under the basket, Brown darted to the baseline and deflected the heave into the stands as the final second ticked away. It was a play that showcased Brown’s elite defensive IQ and saved the Blue Devils from an overtime or a buzzer-beating loss.
Evans (13 points, 1 clutch three) and Brown (6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 game-saving deflection) cemented the victory.
The Exposed Flaw: Finishing Games
While the victory confirms Duke’s resolve—the mental toughness to win a rock fight—the chaotic finish painfully exposed their biggest remaining flaw: closing out games.
This is now the second consecutive game where Duke built a double-digit lead only to see it completely erased, forcing them to rely on individual brilliance in the closing seconds. In the elimination atmosphere of March, relying on an 0-for-7 shooter to save the game is not a sustainable formula. The lack of clean execution and the poor defense against Florida’s relentless rebounding (especially Rueben Chinyelu’s 14 boards) are symptoms of a team that hasn’t yet learned how to apply the chokehold on a beaten opponent.
The ability to stave off the collapse is a positive; the need to stave it off is the warning sign.
The victory means the 9-0 record is intact as Duke now heads into a brutal stretch, starting with an essential true road game against the undefeated, No. 7 ranked Michigan State Spartans on Saturday. The mental test against Florida was passed, but the physical and tactical gauntlet has only just begun. Duke won the battle, but the war for March readiness continues.
