One Last Saturday Night in Cameron: Duke Dominates FSU, Eyes Final Two Games

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.