The ACC and ESPN's attempt to boost television ratings in Charlotte this week didn't go as planned, leaving Duke's head coach, Jon Scheyer, less than pleased.
In a rare move, the Blue Devils, the ACC Tournament's No. 1 seed, found themselves playing their quarterfinal game outside of the usual 12:00 p.m. ET slot. This change was part of a strategy to put Duke in the primetime spotlight, sacrificing their rest advantage as the outright regular-season champions.
Virginia, the No. 2 seed, took the noon slot, while Miami, the No. 3 seed, played at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Typically, these seeds would play in the evening session, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m.
ET. Instead, Duke and North Carolina were moved to the evening, with their potential semifinal not starting until 9:30 p.m.
ET on Friday.
Duke, already down two starters due to injuries, faced a tough battle against Florida State. The Seminoles pushed them to the brink, missing a potential game-winner in the final seconds, allowing Duke to escape with an 80-79 win.
After the game, Scheyer voiced his frustration over the lack of rest his team faced despite their regular-season success. "We have to recover quickly," he stated.
"We're not playing the noon game this year. We're the only 1-seed not to be playing early in the country.
But it's a quick turnaround, and we're going to work on keeping this thing going."
Adding to the ACC and ESPN's woes, North Carolina fell to Clemson in the nightcap, derailing plans for a high-profile matchup between Duke and the Tar Heels.
The strategy to manipulate game times backfired, and now Duke must prepare for their semifinal on short rest, aiming to defend their conference tournament title.