Duke's Boozer named ACC tourney MVP despite struggles against Virginia's Onyenso

Freshman star Boozer had a season-low scoring night, but still led Duke to the ACC title.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 6:56am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Duke freshman Cameron Boozer was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament despite struggling mightily against Virginia's Ugonna Onyenso, who blocked four of Boozer's shots. Boozer finished with a season-low 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting, but still had 8 rebounds and 8 assists to help Duke defeat Virginia 74-70 and win the ACC championship.

Why it matters

Boozer has been a dominant force for Duke all season, ranking 8th nationally in scoring. His struggles against Onyenso's rim protection were surprising, but Duke was still able to win the ACC title, setting them up well for the NCAA Tournament.

The details

Onyenso, Virginia's 7-foot center, was the key to harassing Boozer, Duke's 6-foot-10 star freshman, into his roughest shooting performance of the season. Onyenso finished with 9 blocks, 7 in the second half, breaking the single-tournament record previously held by former NBA star Tim Duncan. Despite his shooting struggles, Boozer still contributed 8 rebounds and 8 assists to secure the MVP award.

  • Duke defeated Virginia 74-70 in the ACC Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2026.

The players

Cameron Boozer

A 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman forward for Duke University, who is considered an NBA prospect and was named the ACC Tournament MVP despite his struggles in the title game.

Ugonna Onyenso

A 7-foot, 245-pound center for the University of Virginia, who had a record-breaking 9 blocks in the ACC Tournament championship game against Duke.

Jon Scheyer

The head coach of the Duke University men's basketball team, who led the Blue Devils to the ACC Tournament title in his fourth season.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Well, I definitely got frustrated.”

— Cameron Boozer, Duke Freshman Forward

“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.”

— Cameron Boozer, Duke Freshman Forward

“One thing with me is I'm really good with my timing, so when we played them at Duke, I was a little bit off. So coming into today's game, I was like, okay, this is what I've got to do, steel my feet, don't jump. That really helped me with my timing.”

— Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia Center

“Look, we're going to continue to go to him regardless of how he's playing. He didn't have his best stuff. But in fairness to him, we rely on him so heavily. We played three games in a row. They're loaded up, they have a great frontcourt.”

— Jon Scheyer, Duke Head Coach

What’s next

Duke will now await their NCAA Tournament seeding and matchup after winning the ACC Tournament championship.

The takeaway

Despite Boozer's struggles, Duke's ability to win the ACC title without him playing at his best shows the team's depth and resilience, which will be crucial as they make a run in the NCAA Tournament.