Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #7 UConn on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 72, to, 73
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Men's Basketball
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Droschak: ACC Scoring Champ Is Hero Once Again In Tournament Final
3/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By David Droschak, TheACC.com
GREENSBORO, N.C. - What will Duke do without J.J. Redick?
That's the question the Blue Devils likely won't have to face for a few more weeks as the senior guard once again has Duke on a clear path to what could be another Final Four appearance.
Redick came into the ACC Tournament in a shooting slump and his team on a two-game losing streak.
The ACC scoring champ left the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday with more hardware after a stunning long-distance shooting display and his team with its seventh ACC Championship in the last eight years.
In the end, Duke had Redick and Boston College didn't in a 78-76 win by the Blue Devils that will go down as one of the better ACC title games in the last 20 years.
The third-seeded Eagles, put in a 10-point hole midway through the second half by three Redick 3-pointers in a span of 1:29, wouldn't go away in their first ACC Tournament.
In fact, Boston College surged ahead by four points with five minutes left looking for an upset of the top-seeded Blue Devils and a major piece of ACC history.
But it was Redick to the rescue down the stretch.
He hit a 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining to tie the score at 71-71, then gave his club the lead for good 38 seconds later with another long bomb.
Redick scored 25, 20 and 26 points in his three tournament games to win the MVP award for a second straight year. The last player to do that was Tommy Burleson in 1973-74.
"He played for N.C. State, right?" said Redick, joking with a large group of media surrounding his locker.
"It's a big honor to be recognized as an MVP of any tournament, and to do it in the ACC is extra special," Redick said. "But really, any time you want to give me an MVP award or give me a player of the year award, it's almost like you have to give it to Shelden (Williams) too. I wouldn't be able to do what I do without him and he wouldn't be able to do what he does without me. And our team wouldn't be here without both of us."
OK, fair enough.
Williams had 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the title game, battling Boston College's Craig Smith and Sean Williams in a rugged and physical 40 minutes of tense hoops.
The senior class of Redick, Williams, Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni now have three ACC titles, and came within an overtime loss to Maryland three years ago of putting four in a row together.
"It's a great feeling going out with a bang. It's a feeling that you'll never forget," Dockery said. "It is special your last time around. We're going out on top."
Redick also could have won the MVP in his freshman season had it not been for some early voting by media members. Daniel Ewing won the award, but Redick scored 23 of his 30 points over the final 10:10 to put a dagger into N.C. State in 2003.
"This time it wasn't the same type of thing," Redick said. "We were down big in that game."
You could have fooled Boston College, who paid the price the few times they couldn't locate the jack rabbit Redick.
"He just made shots with hands in his face and there were a couple of miscommunications by us," said Jared Dudley. "He wants to shoot the ball at the end of the game and you've got to take it out of his hands."
Easy to say, but harder to accomplish as Redick was 7-for-11 from beyond the arc.
"We kind of lost contact with Redick on a couple of screen-and-rolls," said Tyrese Rice. "Guys didn't know if they wanted to step up or step back. If anything, they should have stepped up to him and double-teamed him."
No kidding.
Redick's second half performance put a damper on the three-day performance of Boston College's Smith, the guy his teammates call "The Beast."
Smith finished Sunday with 19 points and 10 rebounds - his third straight double-double of the tournament.
Smith was greeted by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski soon after the epic game. "He told me, `Let's meet in the Final Four,"' Smith said. "Going into the NCAA Tournament knowing you took Duke to the edge is a good feeling."
What many people forgot was Redick's performance Sunday came on a sore right knee, a bone bruise he suffered against Wake Forest early in the semifinals that had swelled up overnight.
Just like Redick, he shrugged off the injury, saying he's itching to get going in the NCAA Tournament.
"I knew he wasn't going to be knocked out after yesterday. It just gave him fresher legs for today," said point guard Greg Paulus.
"He's just an incredible player," added Josh McRoberts. "He stepped up in the clutch again today and he put us on his back and carried us to the championship."
The big question remains. Does Redick have six more clutch performances left in the tank?
Krzyzewski, who bagged his ninth ACC title Sunday, is banking on it in March.
"I've told him a lot that if you miss and we lose, then we'll walk off arm and arm," Krzyzewski said. "As a coach I try to let my best players be the ones that decide games."
Redick certainly decided Sunday's game.
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