For a half Tuesday night, No. 4 Duke look poised for a runaway win against 15th-ranked and reigning champion Florida.
Florida punched back from its lowest scoring half of the season and a 36-24 deficit at the break to tie the game at 59 in the game’s final three minutes. From there it was a back-and-forth thriller that featured two lead changes in the final 35 seconds before Duke secured a 67-66 win.
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With the win, Duke improved to 9-0 and secured its third win over a ranked opponent this season that also includes victories over No. 24 Kansas and No. 22 Arkansas. Up next is perhaps its toughest test yet in a road matchup at No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday.
But for now, the Blue Devils can celebrate a win over the reigning champs in a matchup of two teams that advanced to last season’s Final Four. As has been the case for most of the season, star freshman Cameron Boozer led the way.
Boozer hit a 3 with 2:10 remaining in immediate response to Florida tying the game. And he finished with a game-high 29 points.
This story will be updated.
