CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tyrese Proctor entered Saturday night’s ACC championship 0 for 10 from beyond the 3-point arc in his previous two tournament games.

That didn’t keep him from letting it fly.

Proctor made six 3-pointers and scored 19 points, tournament MVP Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference championship in three seasons under Jon Scheyer.

The Cards fell to 27-7 on the season, while the Blue Devils improved to 31-3 and were crowned the ACC Conference Tournament Champions for the 2024-25 season.

Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 29 points on five 3s for Louisville, 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.

Kelsey praised his team for “leaving everything on the floor” over the past three days.

“In the last three months this team has lost twice,” Kelsey said. “So I feel strongly in my heart that the best is yet to come. ... We are excited to find out (during selection Sunday) where we are going and who are playing.”

Added Edwards: “We are far from done.”

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.

Kelsey was quick to point out the loss hurts, but urged his team and others to remember what a special season it has been so far. He said, “I told them that they are beloved by the citizens of our great city in Louisville.  Our town was a bit beaten down, and this team has done a lot—just how the last couple years had gone, and this team has done a lot to resurrect this city.  Basketball in Louisville means a lot. It’s a tremendous group of young men, and our fan base has seen how they poured their heart and soul into trying to make that name across our jersey be great once again, and they’ve done that. “

Louisville finished as runner-up in both the ACC regular season and tournament. The Cardinals fate regarding the NCAA Tournament first-round opponent and location will be revealed on Sunday in the CBS NCAA Tournament Selection Show. The selection show begins at 6 p.m. ET.

Takeaways

Louisville: Hepburn has been the team’s offensive catalyst this season, but Edwards’ recent play gives the Cardinals the needed scoring punch that could takes them deep into the NCAA Tournament. Edwards has averaged 24.8 points over the last six games. “He’s been on a tear, for sure,” Kelsey said.

Duke: The Blue Devils defense in the tournament was outstanding. They held Louisville to 9-of-35 shooting in the second half to pull away.