Duke fends off furious rally from reigning champion Florida in thriller for 3rd win this season over a ranked opponent

Duke fends off furious rally from reigning champion Florida in thriller for 3rd win this season over a ranked opponentStory byDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 02: Cameron Boozer #12 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts in the first half against the Florida Gators during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 02, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) (Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images)Jason OwensStaff writerWed, December 3, 2025 at 2:51 AM UTC·2 min read

For a half Tuesday night, No. 4 Duke look poised for a runaway win against 15th-ranked and reigning champion Florida.

But 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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As has been the case for most of the season, star freshman Cameron Boozer led the way.

Boozer 3 sparks frantic finish in Durham

He finished with a game-high 29 points to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. And when Florida tied the game for the first time in the second half after trailing since halftime, it was Boozer who came up with the response.

With 2:10 remaining Boozer took a pass on the wing Patrick Ngongba. And he immediately pulled up for a 3 to put the Blue Devils back on top, 62-59.

But Florida wasn't finished.

The Gators answered with points on three consecutive possessions, capped by a Boogie Fland 3 with 35 seconds remaining that gave Florida a 66-64 lead, its first since 13-12 early in the first half.

But Isaiah Evans got the last laugh for the Blue Devils.

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The sophomore guard on a roster filled with freshman stars pulled up for his own go-ahead 3 for a 67-66 Duke lead out of a Blue Devils timeout.

Fland dribbled the ball off his foot on the other end for a turnover, and Duke ensured that there would be no miracle finish for Florida.

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.

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This story will be updated.

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