We are halfway through the quarterfinals of the 2020 ACC Tournament, and things continue to hold to form. Duke led for almost the entirety of the closest-seeded game of the round. The Blue Devils will face top-seeded Florida State after disposing of in-state rival NC State, 74-60.
Duke led by as much as eight during the first half, but NC State rallied to tie it late before settling for a three-point deficit at halftime. The Wolfpack continued to keep pace early in the second half, even briefly holding a pair of one-point leads. It was after that latter lead that the Blue Devils went on a 12-2 run to go up nine and not fall behind again. Although the Wolfpack were able to cut it to a six-point game with less than three minutes to go, the Blue Devils finished it with a 9-1 run.
Tre Jones came agonizingly close to a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, all of which were game highs or tied for them. Vernon Carey was almost as impressive for the Blue Devils, scoring 15 and pulling down seven boards. Despite shooting 4 of 13, Cassius Stanley finished with 10 points.
Markell Johnson was the key player for the Wolfpack with 13 points and seven rebounds. DJ Funderburk scored 12 on a 4-of-7 performance from the field. Devon Daniels had 10, a mark equaled by Pat Andree off the bench.
