 From Duke Sports Information The Duke football team tied a bow on the spring practice session Saturday afternoon with the program's Blue & White game inside Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. The offense (Blue Team) held off the defense (White Team) for a 38-26 victory.
The contest featured four 10-minute quarters with a running clock in the final period. The offense had traditional scoring with a bonus point being added for a touchdown of 20 or more yards. Specialty scoring was used for the defense with three points for a fourth-down stop, two points for a three-and-out and one point for a sack. On the opening drive with rising redshirt sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah, the offense took an 8-0 lead on a 33-yard scoring pass from Mensah to rising redshirt sophomore Spencer Jones. The defense answered with a three-and-out on a Henry Belin IV drive to make it an 8-2 contest. Mensah's second drive made the score 16-2 in favor of the offense as he hit rising redshirt sophomore Que'Sean Brown with a 75-yard score. The Duke defense rallied with the game's next 11 points with four three-and-outs and three sacks to draw within 16-13 with 6:12 remaining in the first half. Rising redshirt senior Tre Freeman, rising redshirt junior Wesley Williams, rising sophomore Tyshon Reed and rising redshirt freshman Kobe Smith tallied the Blue Devils' sacks during the run. The offense answered with Belin hitting rising redshirt senior Sahmir Hagans for a 31-yard score with 3:37 before intermission for a 24-13 lead. A three-and-out by the defense and sack made it 24-16 with 21 seconds left in the second, but rising senior Todd Pelino drilled a 42-yard field goal to end the half with the offense leading 27-16. Out of the break, Duke's defense dominated the third quarter with a 6-0 period aided by a fourth-down stop, three-and-out and sack by rising redshirt sophomore Luke Mergott. The offense held a 27-22 lead going into the final frame. A sack from rising redshirt sophomore Desmond Aladuge pulled the defense to 27-23 at the 6:34 mark before rising sophomore Cosme Salas converted a 37-yard field goal to push the offense in front 30-23. The Blue Devil defense then forced a four-and-out for a 30-26 score with two minutes to play. Duke's offense put the game away as true freshman quarterback Dan Mahan found Jones on a 20-yard pass for the 38-26 final. With spring complete, Duke will conduct fall camp prior to the season opener against Elon on Thursday, August 28 at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
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 From Duke Sports Information Duke men's basketball freshman Cooper Flagg has been named the winner of the Associated Press (AP) Player of the Year, the organization announced on Friday, April 4. Flagg is just the fourth freshman to win the award, joining fellow Blue Devil, Zion Williamson (2019) along with Anthony Davis (2012) and Kevin Duran (2007).
A native of Newport, Maine, Flagg becomes the eighth Blue Devil to be named National Player of the Year by the AP, more than any other program in the awards 64-year history. The only other schools with three or more recipients are UCLA with 5, Ohio State with 4 and North Carolina and Virginia each with 3. Flagg, who turned 18 years old in December 2024, is the top-rated player by EvanMiya with a combined offensive and defensive performance rating of 10.82, while also leading the KenPom Player of the Year standings with a 2.710 rating. The 6-9, 205-pound freshman leads No. 1 Duke in points (682), rebounds (271), assists (151), steals (50) and blocks per game (1.3), and ranks among the ACC's top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories - scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th) and blocked shots (8th). He garnered both ACC player and rookie of the week honors in the same week five times this season, becoming the first player in ACC history to sweep the conference weekly awards more than twice. His 12 ACC Rookie of the Week citations are a new conference record. Flagg became the youngest player in NCAA history to post a 40-point game when he broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame on Jan. 11 and registered the first NCAA Tournament performance with at least 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three blocks in Duke's Sweet 16 victory over Arizona on March 27 en route to being named East Region Most Outstanding Player. With his AP honors, Flagg has now been voted the National Player of the Year by four organizations, having already earning the accolade from the United State Basketball Writers Associated (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and CollegeInsider.com. Flagg also swept the ACC Player and Rookie of the Year awards and is Duke's first consensus First Team All-American since Williamson and RJ Barrett in 2019. A panel of 62 media members who regularly cover college basketball vote on the award at the conclusion of the regular season and before the NCAA Tournament starts. Voting is based on regular season performance. Flagg is the 12th different Blue Devil to win National Player of the Year recognition and ninth to be named National Player of the Year by multiple outlets in a single season. MOST NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS (AP, Naismith, NABC, Sporting News, USBWA, Wooden) Duke, 44 UCLA, 29 North Carolina, 23 Purdue, 18 Virginia, 14 Ohio State, 13 Cincinnati, 11 Indiana, 11 Kansas, 11 Kentucky, 11 Oklahoma, 11 MOST WINNERS OF THE AP NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR Duke, 8 UCLA, 5 Ohio State, 4 From Duke Sports Information Leading into Duke's Blue & White Game, additional details for the fan-friendly event have been announced, including Woof at Wallace Wade – the opportunity for owners to bring their pet dogs. The contest will be Saturday, April 19 at 12 noon.
Admission – Free admission for all fans. Stadium entrances at the north Bostock Gate and west Powers Gates will begin at 11 a.m. All seating will be in the west stands (Blue Devil Tower side). Woof at Wallace Wade – Fans can take advantage of a special opportunity for ONLY the Blue & White Game as furry dog friends are also encouraged to attend. Dogs WILL NOT be allowed in attendance at baseball or men's lacrosse on April 19. Owners wishing to bring their dogs must use the Powers Gate entrance and register upon arrival. Owners must check-in upon entrance to register and receive a wrist band to sit in Sections 30 and 31, which are dedicated Woof at Wallace Wade sections. Parking – Free parking will be available starting at 10 a.m. in the Science Drive Garage (no tailgating allowed), Jogging Trail Lot (tailgating allowed) and Grounds Lot (ADA parking). A state issued ADA placard or license plate is required for designated accessible parking areas. Pregame Activities – Starting at 11 a.m., fans can enjoy inflatables and tailgate games on the northwest corner of the concourse and the Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck. Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck and Concessions – The Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck will feature a helmet sale with each authentic, game-used helmet going for $100 while supplies last. Limited concession sales will also be available on the Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck. Additional concessions will be available on the concourse. No additional ticket is required for Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck access during the Blue & White Game. Merchandise – Official Duke football merchandise will be available to purchase on the concourse and in the Duke Team Store, located on Tribull Plaza across from Cameron Indoor Stadium. Game Setup – Fans can get their first look at the 2025 Blue Devils with a situational scrimmage set to last approximately 90 minutes. Season Tickets – Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available by calling 919-681-2583. Representatives from the Duke Ticket Office will be on-site at the stadium to answer any questions. What a journey it has been for Duke fans. Now, the Blue Devils have arrived in San Antonio, ready to battle Houston in the Final Four.
After taking care of business in Raleigh with wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Baylor, fending off an Arizona comeback, and then dominating a high-powered Alabama offense by 20 in Newark, Duke (35-3) now turns its focus to a highly anticipated Final Four showdown. The Blue Devils will face Houston (34-4) in the second semifinal at the Alamodome—a matchup filled with intrigue. Duke currently sits atop the KenPom ratings at No. 1, with Houston right behind at No. 2. Oddsmakers at FanDuel have the Blue Devils as 5.5-point favorites, with the total set at 136.5. This game has all the makings of an instant classic—Duke’s explosive offense and elite defense going up against a physically dominant, battle-tested Houston squad. Expect a war on the court. Scheyer’s Success and the Ultimate Goal Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, Jon Scheyer’s third season as Duke’s head coach has been a resounding success. In just three years, he has guided the Blue Devils to two ACC Championships, two Elite Eights, and now a Final Four appearance. But as every Blue Devil knows—the job isn’t done. Duke has its SI6HTS set on hanging that coveted sixth national championship banner in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium. A Season to Remember As I look ahead to what promises to be an unforgettable Final Four—featuring all four No. 1 seeds—I can’t help but reflect on the incredible journey that has led Duke to this stage. From the electric, Final Four-caliber showdown against Auburn at Cameron Indoor in November… to the hard-fought loss against Kansas in Las Vegas… to storming through the ACC with only one setback against Clemson… to sweeping rival North Carolina—not once, not twice, but three times, including in the ACC Tournament semifinals. This season has been nothing short of special. But the mission isn’t complete. The Blue Devils now turn their focus to Houston, with a chance to punch their ticket to the national championship game.  No Cooper Flagg for almost the entire ACC Tournament? No problem. No Maliq Brown? No problem. Duke weathered a fierce comeback from North Carolina in the ACC semifinals last Friday, securing a three game sweep over their archrivals. The Blue Devils then followed up with a dominant 73-62 victory over Louisville on Saturday night, clinching their 23rd ACC Tournament title in front of a Duke-heavy crowd in Charlotte. With Flagg sidelined, multiple players stepped up, led by Kon Knueppel, who delivered a stellar performance throughout the tournament. Knueppel was named ACC Tournament MVP, averaging 21 points per game over the three contests. The team’s depth and resilience were on full display, a testament to Jon Scheyer's leadership in his third season as head coach. Scheyer on Duke’s Championship Run After the win over Louisville, Scheyer praised his team’s effort in the postgame press conference: “Great game. Really proud of our team to win this ACC Championship. To win an outright regular season and then to win in the tournament is special.” Duke’s ability to dominate both the regular season and the ACC Tournament underscores just how special this team is. Duke Earns No. 1 Seed, Opens NCAA Tournament in Raleigh As expected, Duke was awarded the #1 seed in the East Region on Selection Sunday. The Blue Devils will begin their NCAA Tournament run this Friday March 21, in Raleigh, facing the winner of Mount St. Mary's vs. American from the First Four games in Dayton. Tipoff is set for 2:50 PM ET on CBS. Potential Storylines in Duke’s NCAA Tournament Path Duke’s road to the Final Four could feature some intriguing matchups:
Looking ahead to the Final Four? Possible rematches with Houston (“Houston, we have a problem” vibes, anyone?) or a revenge game against Rick Barnes and Tennessee, who knocked Duke out in the 2023 Round of 32. One Game at a Time While fans and media love to speculate about matchups and bracket scenarios, Scheyer and the Blue Devils are locked in on the present. Their focus is solely on Friday’s game, where they await the winner of Mount St. Mary's vs. American. March is here, and Duke is ready.  It's that time of year when hardcore college basketball fans as well as casual fans come together for the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events and unique in its own way. Unlike college football, that had a four team playoff for years to now a 12 team playoff for this last season, to possibly a 14 team playoff in the future, college basketball has arguably the most pure and fair form of a tournament in all of sports. The NCAA selection committee picks the top 68 teams to go dancing. There is talk out there of expanding the tourney.. but hopefully the powers that be don't ruin what is arguably the best tournament to exist. Also unlike college football - if you win your conference tournament in basketball, you go to the NCAA Tournament. It doesn't get much fairer and to the point than that. Even if you don't win your tourney, if you play a tough schedule and pull off a lot of wins, you still go dancing. There is no perfect process to pick teams, but the NCAA tournament is as close as you can get. Now that the bracket has been released, you will see people from all walks of life, gathering at the office water cooler, or at a sports bar, or maybe even meeting in a group Zoom meeting to discuss strategies on picking their bracket. You will have the person who spends hours and hours analyzing data such as college basketball conference standings, KenPom rankings, strength of schedules, as well as other data and statistics only to see his/her bracket get busted when a Cinderella pulls off an upset. You will also have that one person who makes picks based on team colors or mascots end up winning the office pool. March Madness has a unique way of bringing together the hardcore and casual fan. Once Thursday gets here, you will have fans watching games from everywhere and anywhere possible. Many will take off work the first two days of the NCAA Tourney (Thursday and Friday - not the play in games) to watch games at home, a local bar or chain restaurant like Buffalo Wild Wings that display multiple TVs. At certain times in the NCAA Tourney, you can have four games going at once. You will also have many employees who don't take off work but instead watch the games at work by streaming through devices like their laptop, tablet, or iphone using the company wi-fi. This is why I have long argued that the first two days (not the First Four in Dayton) of the NCAA Tournament (but Thursday and Friday) should be an optional holiday. You don't see events like the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff, World Series, and NBA Playoffs being played during normal working hours. Employees spending time at work streaming games can have an economic impact on the workplace. A 2021 analysis report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggested " that between 23 million and 34.5 million workers would fill out brackets" for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The report also suggested the 2021 tournament could have possibly cost employers over $13 billion from their workforce. According to the report.. "that would mean 72,114,720 workers are participating in March Madness activities while at work. Using this figure multiplied by the average hourly wage, the games could cost employers $2.16 billion per hour." To see the full 2021 analysis report from Challenger, Gray, & Christmas click on the link below. Challenger, Gray, & Christmas 2021 March Madness Report The above was from a 2021 analysis. Now fast forward to 2023 NCAA Tournament... According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas the 2023 NCAA Tournament cost employers $17.3 billion dollars. That's $1 billion more than last year. Another stat - $2.55 billion dollars - Lost wages resulting from the possibility of 48% of all workers, or 76,951,200 people, spending at least one hour of one workday on March Madness activities. You can find more information and stats from their report at the link below. https://www.challengergray.com/blog/the-2023-tournament-will-cost-employers-17-3b-1b-more-than-last-year/ One would think that for this upcoming 2025 NCAA Tourney, that all those numbers and statistics will go up. March Madness attracts several viewers to the NCAA Tournament games. Several years back, the NCAA and CBS Sports teamed up to offer the March Madness on Demand web streaming service. With the app, you now can watch games from your iPhone, and tablet to go along with watching games on your laptop and TV. With just owning a few basic technology items, one could turn their living room into a mini Buffalo Wild Wings, streaming all the games being played at the same time. Check out the pic below from my 2024 March Madness Party to get an idea.  In 2006, the gurus at CBS Sports took it to a new level with the famous "BOSS" button. The BOSS button allows viewers to watch games at work but quickly be able to bring up a fake email, spreadsheet, flow chart, etc.. if somebody walks by their computer. CBS Sports reported a few years back there were 2.77 million clicks on the BOSS button. Now that has been 19 years ago since the creation of the "BOSS" button. Times and technology have changed since then. Click on the link below to see a 2019 article from USA Today on the history of the BOSS button. History of the BOSS button To see a discrete history of the "BOSS" button click on the link below from NCAA.com www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-03-19/march-madness-boss-button-discrete-history  As you can see, March Madness has continued to embrace the use of technology. Office pools are another popular event that goes along with March Madness. Billions of dollars will exchange hands the next few weeks as people from all walks of life will participate in office pools across the country. Filling out the bracket the Monday after Selection Sunday has become a pastime for many fans. According to a 2018 USA Today article, the American Gaming Association estimated the following… The amount that will be wagered on this (2018) year’s tournament, only $300 million of which will be done legally at sports books in Las Vegas, according to the American Gaming Association. With sports betting now legal in more than 30+ states ( I believe currently 38 states and Washington,D.C.), one would think the amount of sports betting (legal with sports books as well as office pools) on the NCAA Tournament will surely increase. CBS, Yahoo, ESPN and other sites offer up cash and/or prizes for a perfect bracket. In 2014, Warren Buffett upped the ante by offering one billion dollars to the person who had a perfect bracket. Warren Buffett is no fool when it comes to investing money. His challenge brought even more attention to Yahoo Fantasy sports, as Yahoo and Quicken Loans partnered together to launch the billion dollar bracket challenge. The challenge opened to the first 15 million qualified entrants. By late Friday of the first round of games, out of the fifteen million brackets, none were left perfect. It didn’t help that Mercer upset Duke and Dayton beat Ohio State in the first round to shatter millions of brackets. As you can see, Warren Buffett placed a safe bet that ended up bringing a lot of hype to the bracket challenge and he didn’t have to give out a dollar. Over the years Warren Buffet has then offered a bracket challenge to his employees in which they would receive one million every year for life to the employee that could pick a perfect Sweet 16. None of his employees have been able to do that. However, in 2017, one employee came very close correctly picking 31 out of the 32 games. He didn't win the one million a year for life, but did win $100,000 prize for having the best bracket. Who has scored the best March Madness bracket ever? According to an Investopedia.com article (link below) - " With 49 games accurately predicted in a row, Gregg Nigl of Columbus, Ohio, scored the best March Madness bracket ever recorded. In 2019, the neuropsychologist was the first person to reach the Sweet 16, eventually breaking the streak in its second game when two-seed Tennessee lost to three-seed Purdue. " https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/082714/what-are-odds-getting-perfect-bracket-warren-buffetts-1-billion-march-madness-bracket-challenge.asp Still trying to achieve the perfect bracket is always a challenge many fans dream of. Every year, I myself think, "yeah this is my year to finally produce the perfect bracket." Well, a quick Google search will give you the statistics of having a perfect bracket. Here are the odds from a recent NCAA article: “Jeffrey Bergen, a professor of mathematics at DePaul University, has been crunching numbers on the topic for years. And they don’t look good. Bergen says that the chances of someone filling out a perfect bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. That’s one in more than nine quintillion. To put how large that number is into proper perspective, Bergen reports that if you were to begin filling out random brackets now and stacked each of the 9 quintillion pieces of paper on top of each other, the stack would reach all the way to the sun and back…over 3,000 times by the time you finished.” You would have a better chance at winning the lottery than producing a perfect bracket. As USA Today stated, “You’d have a better chance of hitting four holes-in-one in a single round of golf.” Even with the odds NOT in your favor, fans across the country will come together at the water cooler starting Monday to discuss their strategies and why they think their bracket is going to be perfect this year. The next 3 weeks, the March Madness Effect will be everywhere. Whether it be fans attending the games at different locations across the country, co-workers discussing the games over a lunch break, friends getting together at the local sports bar to cheer on their team, or living rooms being turned into temporary sports bars to display all the games, March Madness is truly a unique sporting event that all can enjoy.   It’s that time of year again when friends and coworkers across the country are getting together to fill out brackets for March Madness. I am one of those guys who watches the selections shows, surfs different sports websites for their advice, and still buys two different newspapers... (wait... do they still make newspapers?...) to read before filling out my bracket. A couple days later, I find I can’t get through the first round undefeated. But then again, very few get through Thursday and Friday with a perfect bracket. The thing I love about March Madness is that it brings people from different walks of life together. You have your diehard sports fans filling out brackets, as well as people who don’t follow sports but love to fill out a bracket. I have had friends who don’t follow sports who make their picks based on the mascot or even team colors. Several years ago, I joined a unique March Madness office pool at work created by my buddy whose nickname is “The Flo” and have been hooked ever since. What I like about this office pool is that it is something different than your normal “fill out a bracket” office pool. It is a pool for hard-core college basketball fans as well as people who have never watched a game. You need 16 people to do the pool. After the teams are announced on Selection Sunday you take the 64 teams (the teams in the play in games are both grouped in one team slot) and split them into 4 groups. The groups below are the following: #13 – #16 seeds - Low #9 – #12 seeds - Mid-Low #5 – #8 seeds - Mid-High #1 – #4 seeds - High Look at the image below (it is from a previous March Madness year) to get an idea of how the teams are divided in groups.  Each of the 16 people in your pool each get a team out of the 4 groups listed above. You could put the teams in 4 hats and do a random draw or you could use a computer to generate the pics. It is a fair pool, since everybody ends up with a low, mid-low, mid-high, and high seed. If one of your 4 teams is the winner of the NCAA Tourney, you win the pool. For this pool, I used the old school method of cutting out the 64 teams and grouping them in the 4 seed groups. Some years I have used my 2010 Duke national championship cups :) to shake up the pieces of paper and draw out each person's picks at random. See pic below.  We here at Duke Report have created the pool with myself @Skeelow22, Josh @joshuacox and 14 Twitter friends/followers who responded to a request to join. Below are the results of the random selections for the 2025 Duke Report - Unique March Madness Pick 'Em Pool.  The last 2 years I even added a snake draft style (pic above as you can see with the arrows marked by a sharpie) to mix it up as I randomly chose teams from the cups. As you can see, this is a unique office pool. I myself take a sharpie and scratch out the teams as they are eliminated from the tournament. There is no better feeling as a Duke fan than marking out North Carolina from the pool as they get eliminated. With Selection Sunday already completed, this is another pool you can do along with filling out the brackets. Winner of the Duke Report - March Madness Pick 'Em Pool will receive a small Duke prize. Enjoy March Madness and Go Duke! Want to know how to throw an exciting March Madness party? Read below for the details. It's that time of year when the brackets are out and millions of people will be filling them out in hopes of winning their local office pool. Many people will take the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament off work to watch games at home or even their favorite sports bar. I have long argued those two days should be holidays. Employees spending time at work streaming games can have an economic impact on the workplace. A 2021 analysis report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggested " that between 23 million and 34.5 million workers would fill out brackets" for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The report also suggested the 2021 tournament could have possibly cost employers over $13 billion from their workforce. Now fast forward to 2023 NCAA Tournament... According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas the 2023 NCAA Tournament cost employers $17.3 billion dollars. That's $1 billion more than last year. Another stat - $2.55 billion dollars - Lost wages resulting from the possibility of 48% of all workers, or 76,951,200 people, spending at least one hour of one workday on March Madness activities. You can find more information and stats from their report at the link below. https://www.challengergray.com/blog/the-2023-tournament-will-cost-employers-17-3b-1b-more-than-last-year/ A lot of people will have friends over to watch the games. It’s not that difficult or expensive to throw an exciting March Madness party. I’ve lost count of how many years I have thrown a March Madness party. Every year, we seem to up the ante and do something unique. Below are some ideas to help you throw a party your friends won’t forget. The first thing is your setup. Most households own at least 2 TVs and multiple electronic devices. CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV will be showing the games of the NCAA tourney. At some points, you can have 4 games airing at once. My basic setup consist of 3 or 4 TVs displaying games from YouTube TV and 1 or 2 laptops either streaming the other games or displaying the bracket. Over the years, we have changed the lineup. Some years I have used my iPad to display the bracket. One year, I had an iPod (remember iPods?) in the guest bathroom streaming games so that even when nature calls, you wouldn’t miss the game. As you can see, with the basic electronic items that many people own, you can set your house up to rival a Buffalo Wild Wings. The second item on the agenda is the food. Pizza, wings, and buffalo chicken dip seem to be the go-to for my party every year. Pick the food, snacks, and beverages you would like to have at your event. Some years, I have had a friend decorate a Duke themed March Madness cake for my party. As you can see, get as creative as you want with food selections.  The third item on the agenda is the extras. This includes things such as decorations, activities, or even souvenirs. Years back I have bought a 2x3 feet size bracket off Ebay to hang up in the mancave as we watch the games. We update the bracket after each game. Last year I up my game and I splurged and finally got the Fathead March Madness bracket. I bought the giant size bracket... and let me say... this bracket is huge! I also set up my Duke corn hole boards outside as an extra activity. One year I even had custom-made koozies for my March Madness party. Last, but not least is to fill out the bracket and enter a March Madness bracket challenge. There are several sites such as ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS that offer a bracket competition and some offer prizes. I enter online bracket challenges as well as a few local bracket challenges and even help lead one that gives out the coveted FC LAKE2LAKE March Madness Bracketology trophy to the winner. Hosting a party with your friends all in the same bracket challenge just adds to the excitement of March Madness as you all compete to become the winner of Bracketology.  All it takes is a little creativity and you can throw an exciting March Madness party! The next 3 weeks, March Madness will be talked about everywhere. Whether it’s coworkers discussing the games over a lunch break, friends getting together at the local sports bar to cheer on their team, or living rooms being turned into temporary sports bars to display all the games, March Madness is truly a unique sporting event that all can enjoy.  The rivalry between Duke and North Carolina is always intense, but Saturday night’s showdown in Chapel Hill felt like it had a little more edge to it. While bragging rights for Tobacco Road are always on the line, this game felt like it meant even more. Earlier in the week, Duke entered the contest favored from 12 to 14 points, but that line began to shrink to around 8 or 9 points as the game drew closer. North Carolina had just come off a six-game win streak, entering the rivalry match hot and ready to defend home court. Meanwhile, Duke had been on a seven-game win streak of their own, dominating ACC opponents with blowout victories of 21, 36, 18, 43, 37, 35, and 33 points in their previous seven games. As the teams took the floor, you could feel the tension in the Dean Dome. A venue once known for a more subdued wine and cheese crowd atmosphere had become electric, with the Blue Devils traveling the short 8 miles down Tobacco Road to face their rivals. For Duke, the stakes were with a win, they would clinch the #1 seed for the ACC Tournament and extend their impressive run. For North Carolina, the stakes were higher as it was about securing a signature win against a top-tier opponent, one that could boost their NCAA Tournament chances. While Duke was already likely a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels were and are still battling to solidify their place in March Madness. Duke quickly asserted control in the first half, jumping out to a 29-19 lead in the first 10 minutes. It seemed like the Blue Devils were on track for another blowout victory. But as we all know, this rivalry is unpredictable. North Carolina responded with a 14-2 run and entered the locker room just one point behind, with Duke leading 43-42 at halftime. The second half started with a surge from the Tar Heels, who took their first lead of the game, 48-45. The Dean Dome was rocking as the crowd cheered. But Duke remained poised under pressure, battling back to secure a 82-69 victory, highlighted by a spectacular dunk from Cooper Flagg in the closing moments. After the game, head coach Jon Scheyer praised his team for their resilience. "I thought it was incredible to go through," Scheyer said in his post-game press conference. "I even said that at halftime to our team — this is great. We're always preaching inflection points in the game, and the end-of-half is one of them. We're up 15, and they cut it to one, but I knew we needed it. Even the start of the second half when we went down seven. It was a real test of your trust in those moments. And we showed we have great trust in each other in that situation." I caught up with Kon Knueppel in the hallway after the game and asked him about his mindset heading into the postseason. "Just battle every possession. Got to battle," he said. He’s absolutely right. This game was a battle — one that Duke needed to experience as they now enter the "win or go home" phase of the season. A battle mentality is essential for any coach, team, and player as March Madness and tournament play kicks into high gear. With the win over North Carolina, Duke clinches the ACC regular-season title and the #1 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils will face the winner of the #8 Georgia Tech vs #9 Virginia game on Thursday, with a 12:00 PM tipoff on ESPN.   On the final Saturday night of the season in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke basketball put on a clinic, easily dismantling Florida State 100-65. Even more impressive? The Blue Devils did it with Cooper Flagg playing just 19:39 due to a first-half injury. Flagg bounced back in the second half, finishing with 16 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. Duke also secured the dominant win without leader Tyrese Proctor and defensive specialist Maliq Brown. The 35-point rout unfolded before a star-studded crowd, with Ken Jeong and Dez Bryant on one end of the court and Coach K watching on the other. It was a complete team victory, as several players stepped up in key moments. Khaman Maluach recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Isaiah Evans, in his first start, dropped 19 points. The exclamation point came when Spencer Hubbard entered the game and drilled a three-pointer to put Duke at 100, sending Cameron Indoor into a frenzy as players, coaches, and fans erupted in celebration. This marked Duke’s fourth 100-point game of the season and its third in the last five games. Jon Scheyer praised the team effort postgame, stating: "I'm really proud of this win because we're missing Tyrese and Maliq, Cooper goes out in the first half, and it was really what a team is all about. Darren Harris steps up. Mason Gillis and his minutes. Isaiah starts, and wasn't making shots. I think we're used to him making shots all the time and then stuck with it. He ends up being our leading scorer. Kon Knueppel ended up playing point guard for us, he led us in assists, no turnovers. So many guys stepped up, and that’s what I’m most proud of. Khaman with a double-double, just a complete team win. Couldn't be more proud of these guys." Scheyer is right. On a night when Duke needed others to step up, they delivered, securing a dominant win. Now, Duke faces a quick turnaround with its final home game against Wake Forest tonight before closing the regular season in Chapel Hill on Saturday against North Carolina, with ESPN College GameDay in attendance. Despite injuries, Duke shows no signs of slowing down. If Proctor and Brown return soon, the Blue Devils will be a formidable force come March Madness. For now, it’s business as usual—taking it one game at a time. |
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