The best way for the Blue Devils to ring in the new year is notching another ACC victory.
Coming off 10 days of rest, Duke men’s basketball is back. At home for the holidays, the Blue Devils cruised to a 88-65 victory over Virginia Tech, with Cooper Flagg gifting 24 points and six assists.
“For this game, you're always concerned about rust … both teams have been off for 10 days. I thought we did some really good things. I thought it was a great step forward,” head coach Jon Scheyer said.
Although the Blue Devils emerged victorious, Duke suffered yet another slow start. After five minutes of back-and-forth play, the Blue Devils (11-2, 2-0 ACC) struggled to find their rhythm. Plagued by multiple early turnovers and a cold 0-for-7 start from beyond the arc, Duke found itself in a tight battle — down 9-8 after seven minutes of play.
After the second media stoppage and with nine minutes of play left in the first half, the turnovers continued on both ends. Duke struggled to keep up defensively as Virginia Tech picked up numerous offensive boards.
Flagg provided reassurance that all is well with an and-one 3-pointer — his second of the game to that point. The Blue Devils ramped up their defensive intensity, forcing a turnover as the ball deflected off Ben Hammond’s knee. The newfound energy translated into an 18-16 lead with eight minutes left in the half, giving Duke momentum to build upon.
“[Flagg] is a savant with the game,” Scheyer said “He just really has an amazing understanding for what's required to win and how to elevate everybody around him.”
Fresh out of the media timeout, Flagg added another two points, while a turnover by Mylyjael Poteat gave Duke possession again. Tyrese Proctor capitalized at the free-throw line, helping the Blue Devils secure their first meaningful lead of the game.
Kon Knueppel began to shake off his early shooting woes, hitting a 3-pointer after starting 0-for-3. Moments later, Isaiah Evans drilled a corner three, forcing Virginia Tech (5-8, 0-2 in the ACC) to call its first timeout of the half as Duke extended its lead to 28-18 with five minutes remaining. Knueppel was subbed out following two missed 3-point attempts, but Mason Gillis stepped up, sinking a wide-open corner three to keep the momentum pointed in Duke’s favor.
“I still didn't think we had as good of a shooting night as we can have,” Scheyer said. “I think that there is going to be a future game where we can really break out.”
Freshman center Khaman Maluach faced a tough challenge against Virginia Tech, struggling at times to hold his ground offensively. Maluach was pushed around early in the matchup and missed vital passes lobbed from teammates, testing his physicality in the paint.
Nine seconds before Duke entered the half, Jon Scheyer took a timeout to draw up one final play. Knueppel capitalized, gifting a last-second jumper to send Duke into the locker room with a 10-point lead.
Back from half, the Blue Devils suffered more back-and-forth activity. After multiple missed shots by Duke, both Sion James and Flagg made quick work of the ball, adding much needed points to the board.
A Hokie turnover sparked a fast-break opportunity for Duke with Flagg lobbing a perfect pass to James for an easy finish. The Blue Devils maintained their momentum as Tyrese Proctor threw down a commanding dunk, pushing Virginia Tech into a 15-point deficit just five minutes into the second half for the home team’s biggest lead of the game.
Maliq Brown and Caleb Foster entered the game for Khaman Maluach and James, marking Foster’s first action in some time. With 13 minutes left in the second half, Virginia Tech kept up the pressure, capped by a last-second jumper from Brandon Rechsteiner.
Brown made an immediate impact, proving his ability to handle Virginia Tech’s 7-foot-center Patrick Wessler —a challenge that had given Maluach trouble earlier. Brown powered through for a tough two points in the paint.
“Maliq does so much for a team without necessarily putting up numbers in the box score, and to have him and Khaman is this one-two punch” Scheyer said. “Defensively, they're so different, but they're both still so impactful.”
The Hokies continued to fight back, cutting Duke’s lead to 49-40 with only 12 minutes remaining. Brown kicked the ball out to Evans then Proctor, who drained a much-needed 3-pointer. Brown also contributed with strong offensive and defensive rebounds, shoring up an area of earlier concern. On the next possession, Evans showcased his scoring touch from beyond the arc to increase his team’s lead back to 15, while Wessler continued to challenge Dukes’ bigs inside.
Back from a media break, Flagg continued his previous run of excellence. The newly adult freshman put up two with pressure inside from Tyler Johnson, giving him 22 points on the evening. Flagg closed out his performance for the night with a monstrous dunk on top of a Hokie defender off a baseline out-of-bounds play.
Duke looks to carry its momentum into the new year as they open 2025 with more ACC play against SMU Jan. 4.
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