The Miami Hurricanes' surprising charge through the ACC Conference Tournament came to an end today at the hands of national powerhouse Duke -- but only by three points, and after the team's youngsters gave fans reason to look forward to the NIT tournament and beyond.

Miami trailed by double digits much of the first half before a 17-2 run sent them into the second half up three. They couldn't hold off Duke forever, though, and dropped their first-ever appearance in the ACC semifinals 77-74 after a 15-0 run for the Blue Devils early in the second half.

By rights, Miami shouldn't have even been playing today, so a win would have been the most delicious gravy. The Canes started the season 15-1 before suffering a disappointing 3-10 final stretch. To make matters worse, senior leader Dwayne Collins was lost to injury before conference play even started, forcing Frank Haith's team to rely on its youngest ballers.

Freshman Durand Scott took that bitter pill and made it supersweet. The rookie out of New York played well enough as the 12th-seed 'Canes beat 5th-seed Wake Forest, and then almost single-handedly edged 4th-seed Virginia Tech on Friday with 11 of his 17 points coming in the final minutes.

He poured in 23 points today against Duke, who were frustrated enough for coach Mike Krzyzewski to earn his first technical foul of the season and then rip off his coat and throw it.

(Where's a conch when you need one?)

Fellow first-year Reggie Johnson added 14 points this afternoon, and sophomore Malcom Grant threw in 15. For a team that wasn't even a sure bet for an NIT bid, all of a sudden the future looks slightly more bright.