• Basketball
  • Cooper Flagg And Kon Knueppe Help No. 1 Seed Duke Defeat Zona And Reach The Elite 8

Cooper Flagg And Kon Knueppe Help No. 1 Seed Duke Defeat Zona And Reach The Elite 8

Details
Basketball

The freshman duo of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel helped lead No. 1-seed Duke into the Elite Eight, as the Blue Devils (34-3) defeated Arizona (24-13), 100-93, on Thursday, March 27, at the Prudential Center.

Flagg scored 30 points and Knueppel added 20 to pace the top-seeded Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 matchup, while Sion James and Khaman Maluach also reached double-figures, scoring 16 and 13, respectively.

Flagg added a game-high seven assists and shared the team lead for rebounds (six) with his classmate Maluach. Flagg also blocked three shots, becoming the first player in NCAA Tournament history with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in a game.

As a team, Duke finished 33-of-55 (.600) from the field, 11-of-19 (.579) from beyond the arc and 23-of-27 (.852) from the free throw line - the second consecutive game with 60-50-80 shooting splits, marking the first time in Duke program history to accomplish the feat in back-to-back games.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Sion James reeled in an offensive rebound on the first possession and laid in a put-back bucket to open the scoring. The graduate also connected on Duke's first three-pointer, giving the Blue Devils an early 5-2 lead.
  • Both offenses found early success, as an early 4-for-4 stretch by the Wildcats sent Arizona into the lead, 13-10, at the first media timeout. Seven straight points by Tyrese Proctor, including a three-pointer, put Duke in front by one, 17-16.
  • Isaiah Evans drilled his first attempt from beyond the arc, making it an 8-0 run by Duke and establishing a four-point edge, 20-16, with 10:10 on the clock. The scoring run reached 11 unanswered, before an Arizona scored nine of the next 12 points to pull within one, 26-25.
  • Duke remained in front, 34-32, at the final media break of the first half. Cooper Flagg reached double-figures, the first player to do so, with a driving layup, giving the freshman 11 points. Arizona tied the score at 36 and triggered a Duke timeout with 2:27 remaining before half. Flagg scored seven points in the final 1:35 of the first half, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer, to send Duke into intermission with a six-point edge, 48-42.
  • A three-point play by Khaman Maluach opened the second half. Flagg reached 20 points on the next possession, keeping the Blue Devils ahead by nine, 53-44. James swished in a corner three-pointer, forcing an Arizona timeout after just over two minutes of action.
  • The lead grew to 15, 62-47, courtesy of two alley-oop slams by Maluach and a driving layup from Kon Knueppel. After Duke built a lead as large as 19, Arizona reeled it back to 12, 72-60, before a Flagg three-pointer built the lead back to 15.
  • Eight points in less than a minute by the Wildcats narrowed the margin back to single digits, before two free throws by Knueppel after a flagrant foul snapped the scoring streak. A dunk by Arizona made the score 86-79 and led to a Duke timeout with 4:31 remaining. James' third three-pointer of the game, out of the timeout, pushed the lead back to 10.
  • A scoring drought of just over two minutes was ended with free throws from Knueppel, putting the margin back at eight, 91-83, with two minutes remaining. Flagg capped off his 30-point game from the charity stripe as Duke closed out the 100-93 victory.

NOTES

  • Duke improved its NCAA Tournament record to 125-41 (.753) all-time, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played. 
  • With the win, Duke improved to 25-9 (.735) in the Sweet 16 and 62-17 (.785) when playing in the East Region. 
  • The game was the Blue Devils' 11th NCAA Tournament contest played in the state of New Jersey, improving to a record of 11-0.
  • Duke advances to the regional final for the second consecutive season, and will make its 25th appearance in the Elite Eight overall and 19th since 1985, when the field expanded to 64.
  • The 19 appearances are the most by any program in the country in that time frame, ahead of North Carolina's 18.
  • Thursday night marked the 11th consecutive meeting between Duke and Arizona with both teams ranked in the top-25.
  • Duke is now 2-1 against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils had previously defeated the Wildcats, 82-72, in the 2001 national championship game in Minneapolis.
  • Duke head coach Jon Scheyer improved his career record to 88-21 (.807), including a 7-2 mark in the NCAA Tournament. 
  • Scheyer's 88 victories ties Tommy Lloyd of Arizona for the third-most wins in the first three seasons as a Division I men's basketball head coach. Only Brad Underwood and Brad Stevens are ahead of Scheyer with 89.
  • Duke shot 19-of-31 (.613) from the field in the first half, the third consecutive half that the Blue Devils shot over 60-percent from the field, after accomplishing the feat in both frames against Baylor on March 23. 
  • The Blue Devils finished the game 33-of-55 (.600) from the field, their second straight game shooting 60 percent or better.
  • Duke also shot 11-of-19 (.579) from deep and 23-of-27 (.852) from the free throw line, finishing the contest with 60-50-80 shooting splits.
  • The Blue Devils accomplished a 60-50-80 performance for the second game in a row, after also doing so against Baylor on March 23, marking the first time in program history Duke has done so in back-to-back games.
  • Duke scored 100 points for the fifth time in its NCAA Tournament history and for the first time since 1993, when the Blue Devils defeated Southern Illinois, 105-70, in the first round of the tournament.
  • Thursday was Duke's highest scoring performance in a NCAA Tournament regional semifinal contest (prior high 90 vs. UCLA, 1990).
  • Through three games, Duke has amassed 282 points, the most in the first three NCAA Tournament games by a Duke team. The previous high was 274, during the 1999 tournament.
  • Duke improved its record to 34-3 overall to become the seventh team in program history to reach 34 victories in a season. 
  • Duke has now connected on at least one 3-pointer in 1,262 straight games, the longest streak nationally.
  • Cooper Flagg scored 30 points, shooting 9-of-19 (.474) from the field, including 3-of-5 (.600) from beyond the arc, while also going 9-of-10 (.900) from the free throw line. The 30-point performance is Flagg's second of the season.
  • Flagg also dished seven assists, matching his career high, reeled in six rebounds and blocked three shots. He's the first player in Duke history to post a 30-6-7-3 game and it was the first such performance in NCAA Tournament history. 
  • Flagg scored 18 first-half points, punctuated by a buzzer-beating three-pointer, to lead all scorers in the opening 20 minutes of play. 
  • With his nine made free throws, Flagg moved to 168 total for the season, setting a new freshman program record for made free throws. He surpassed Jabari Parker, who finished with 160 during the 2013-14 season.
  • Kon Knueppel scored 20 points, his sixth 20-point game of the season, going 5-for-7 (.714) overall, including a perfect 2-for-2 from deep, while adding an 8-of-9 (.889) showing at the charity stripe. 
  • Flagg and Knueppel become the fourth freshman duo to score 20 or more in an NCAA Tournament game, joining Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett (twice) and Zion Williamson and Tre Jones – all accomplished in 2019.
  • Khaman Maluach also scored in double-figures, finishing with 13 points, marking the 10th time in program history that at least three freshmen scored at least 10 points in an NCAA Tournament contest. 
  • Sion James rounded out the double-digit scoring, matching his season high with 16 points. James shot 5-of-6 (.833) from the field, fueled by a 3-of-4 (.750) showing from deep, and also shot 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
  • The three three-pointers matched his season high, joining his performance against Wake Forest on March 1.
  • Maluach blocked a game-high four shots, equaling his career high, which was previously accomplished against Georgia Tech on March 13.

QUOTES

  • "A ton of respect for Tommy Lloyd, his team, Arizona, their program.  I thought they were incredible tonight.  I thought our guys made some big-time winning plays.  A lot of game pressure.  They just wouldn't go away, even with a 19-point lead.  No lead really felt safe with them.  I thought our guys hit some clutch free throws, made just enough plays.  Obviously it was hard to get stops for anything in this game, but obviously that's sometimes how it goes.  I couldn't be more proud. Hats off to Arizona for the job they did, and proud to be moving on.  It's a quick turnaround, obviously, so our focus tonight for us is go straight to the preparation.  But we're going to enjoy this one, never take for granted going to an Elite 8.  That's a special thing." - Duke head coach Jon Scheyer
  • "I think just playing with really good energy, trusting our game plan, trusting my teammates.  They put me in some really good spots tonight.  Coach, as well, put me in some really good spots. I think just making the right play and just letting the game happen." - Duke freshman guard/forward Cooper Flagg - when asked about his 30-6-7-3 stat line
  • "Everything I did over those four years (at Tulane), whether I knew it or not, was preparing me for moments like this.  Throughout the whole time I was dreaming of being able to compete in the tournament and play in a Sweet 16.  Now we get to compete in the Elite 8. For me the big thing was learning to stay the course, and I feel like that's what we did as a team tonight." - Duke graduate guard Sion James

UP NEXT

No. 1-seed Duke moves on to the Elite Eight and faces No. 2-seed Alabama in the East Region final, played on Saturday, March 29, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The game will begin at 8:49 p.m., and will air live on TBS and TruTV.