ROBERT WILLETT-rwillett@newsobserver.com
Duke's Kyle Singler (12) and Nolan Smith (2) embrace after Duke defeated Georgia Tech 65-61 in the Championship of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. Singler was named the tournament MVP.
GREENSBORO -- Duke senior guard Jon Scheyer’s final shot in the ACC tournament might have been the best of his career.
With the top-seeded Blue Devils clinging to a one-point lead over Georgia Tech, Scheyer curled off a baseline screen set by Brian Zoubek and caught a pass from Nolan Smith on the wing.
Scheyer swished a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left that just about clinched a second straight ACC tournament title – and the ninth in 12 years for Duke. The Blue Devils survived a late comeback by Georgia Tech and won 65-61 on Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum.
“This is really exciting,” Scheyer said. “I could do this 100 times. This could never get old. This was a big goal of ours, but there’s a lot more we want to do.”
The Blue Devils led 60-50 with 3:27 remaining, but No. 7 seed Georgia Tech scored nine straight points to pull within one point on a Derrick Favors dunk with 48 seconds left.
Duke (29-5) ran the clock down with Smith controlling the ball at the top of the key while Scheyer and tournament most valuable player Kyle Singler crossed underneath the basket and came off screens on opposite sides.
Smith had four or five options off that play, and chose the right one even though Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt was comfortable with how the play unfolded. Hewitt thought Scheyer might get the ball and preferred for him to receive the pass on the wing to Smith’s right.
That forced Scheyer to pivot on his right foot as he shot, making it more difficult to balance. Scheyer had missed nine of his first 12 field goal attempts – including seven of eight from 3-point range – before that shot.
But Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski often compares Scheyer to a hitter in baseball who might go 0-for-4 but has a knack for getting a winning hit in the late innings. Scheyer swished the shot over Glen Rice.
Afterward, Hewitt told Scheyer what a great shot he’d made.
“I’m telling you, that’s a big-time shot you just saw,” Hewitt told reporters afterward. “. . .There’s nothing else we could have done on that play except pray for a miss.”
Scheyer, the 2009 ACC tournament MVP and runner-up in the 2010 ACC MVP voting in the regular season, said his teammates and coaches gave him confidence while he struggled with his shooting throughout the game.
They kept telling him to shoot. When he did, Krzyzewski was thrilled with the ending. He said Scheyer has “a great heart.”
“There’s something about Scheyer that produces wins,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s won a lot of games for us, and for me it was a little bit of a storybook ending to the ACC for him. He’s had such a great career.”
Scheyer ruined the day for Georgia Tech (22-12), which was trying to become the first team ever to win four games in four days in the ACC tournament. Freshman center Favors posted game-highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds, including 15 points in the second half.
The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on their first five possessions, spotting Duke an 8-0 lead, and never led. Singler led Duke with 20 points, making 14-of-16 free throws, and Scheyer and Smith added 16 points apiece.
But in the final half-minute, Georgia Tech had a chance to steal the win from Duke. And Scheyer wouldn’t allow it.
“Even though I wasn’t hitting, I still wanted the opportunity to shoot the ball,” Scheyer said. “They set a really good screen for me, and I’m just happy it went in. I didn’t want to let my team down.”
