We have heard about Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg all year. On Saturday night at Prudential Center, we learned Duke is more than just him.
Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and Khaman Maluach are as good as him, and those three played a role in Duke’s success this season and Saturday night. Flagg and the other three guys scored double figures in its 85-65 rout of Alabama in the NCAA East Regional Tournament Final.
Knueppel had a game-high 21 points. Proctor added 17, while Malauch scored 14. Oh, and Flagg put in 16 points. They also did a great job defensively on Alabama’s shooters, who found out they were no longer playing defense-deficient BYU.
After watching the Blue Devils put on a clinic, I think they are even better than I thought. This is a well-rounded team that executes on both ends. It’s no wonder why they should be the overall favorite to win the national championship at San Antonio next week.
Maybe Michigan State can be the one that beats Duke, but it has to get to the Final Four with a win against Auburn on Sunday for that matchup to materialize.
Duke has been consistently good all year at 35-3 while boasting a 19-1 ACC record. You can say that the team has not been tested yet. Does it matter? No one will likely beat the Blue Devils if they play their best as they have all year. It’s no wonder why third-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer talks about the process. He talks about what his players can control, which is playing well.
Cooper Flagg drives past Labaron Philon in Sat’s regional final (photo, NY Post)
The Crimson Tide sometimes made runs, but you never had the impression they were really in the game or going to make Duke worry. Whenever Alabama was in a groove, Duke received an answer from Knueppel or Proctor.
Alabama knew it would not be easy shooting 3s, as in its last game when they broke Loyola Marymount’s tournament record of 25 3s. Duke’s size and length offset the Tide, who shot 25 percent from the 3-point line. Malauch altered six shots, and Knueppel did a great job of shadowing Mark Sears, who finished with six points on 2-of-12 shooting with only one 3-pointer to show for it. Flagg’s length had him getting nine rebounds.
Here’s what Duke did that BYU should have done: Switch while defending a player.
The Crimson Tide led the nation in scoring this season with 91.1 points per game. However, in this game, they managed only 65 points after Duke forced them to play a half-court offense, which is not their game.
Duke can beat teams in many ways, whether it’s playing run-and-gun or a bruising style, relying on its star player, or using backdoor cuts. That team made it ugly for the Crimson Tide to win the Elite Eight and advance to the Final Four.
It’s hard to admit this, but Duke is likable now that Mike Krzyzewski is no longer its coach. It was hard to root for its narcissistic coach, who would whine to the refs often and have his team play dirty often.
The Blue Devils are such an unselfish team. Guys work hard to improve each other, which was on display against Alabama. It’s even impressive they are doing all this as a freshmen-laden team.
You can make a case that the team is America’s team. They play basketball the way it should be played. Guys are not worried about their shots. They are not concerned by endorsements or how much they are getting paid to play despite free education and the nice perks of playing in the NCAA. Their players haven’t even talked about being ready for the NBA next season.
Let’s not get it twisted, though. Duke pays its players and takes advantage of the transfer portal just like any other college program. They would get the best freshmen out there since they can with the program’s reputation.
The point is it’s about basketball and nothing else. That makes that team easy to root for in winning the national championship.
The Blue Devils are two wins away from being national champions–a perfect ending to a dream season.
