“If I had Cooper Flagg, I might win that [game] too,” N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts said after his team’s 74-64 loss to Duke Monday.
A quick glance at the box score seems to initially confirm Keatts’ theory; Flagg accumulated 28 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Blue Devils, including several key buckets down the stretch to seal a Duke victory. The freshman phenom’s dazzling spell of form since turning 18, including six 20-point outings in the Blue Devils’ last eight games, has solidified Flagg as the Naismith Player of the Year frontrunner and intensified the national spotlight around him to levels not seen in college basketball since Zion Williamson’s iconic 2018-19 campaign.
However, the attention around Flagg has clouded the narrative about this year’s team. As a closer analysis of Duke’s recent victory reveals, the 2024-25 Blue Devils are elite for so many more reasons than just Flagg’s greatness.
When Duke trailed by double-digits early against the Wolfpack, it wasn’t Flagg’s five first-half points which closed the gap for the Blue Devils; Kon Knueppel’s 3-point heroics and Sion James’ ferocious intensity on both ends of the court reduced N.C. State’s advantage to 37-33 by halftime.
“I thought that stretch at the end of the first half, beginning of the second half was [huge],” head coach Jon Scheyer said after the game. “What Sion James did there at the end of the first half, with [his] defense, told the story.”
When the Wolfpack failed to score a single point in the first six minutes of the second-half, allowing Duke to embark on a 19-0 between the two periods to take the lead, it was the Blue Devils’ collective defensive effort which stifled N.C. State’s attack.
When freshman center Khaman Maluach threw up on the court, before heading to the locker room with Duke up 63-62 and four minutes left, fellow first-year big-man Patrick Ngongba II stepped up admirably, even scoring the game-sealing bucket in the biggest play of his young career.
“I’m so proud of Pat for what he did at the end of the game,” Scheyer said. “That catch and finish was huge. He’s coming on. I’m just proud of what he’s done.”
The Manassas, Va., native missed all of his senior year of high school with an injury which also sidelined him until mid November. Ngongba’s evolution from afterthought to key contributor in the final minutes of a key ACC matchup exemplifies how unique this group is.
Last season, the Blue Devils were arguably just as talented as this year’s bunch — evidenced by the 2023-24 team’s No. 2 preseason ranking, five spots higher than in 2024-25. However, last year’s squad lacked the grit and toughness that Duke recently showed in its wins against the Wolfpack and Wake Forest. Unlike last year, the 2024-25 Blue Devils don’t crumble in the face of adversity; each player on the team is more than capable of elevating their play in high pressure moments.
Scheyer deserves massive credit for assembling this year’s Duke squad, particularly for surrounding Flagg with complementary pieces that elevate his superstardom to new heights. The transfer portal trio of James, Mason Gillis and Maliq Brown have brought experience and defensive pedigree to an otherwise young team. Freshmen Knueppel and Isaiah Evans space the floor with their deadly proficiency from beyond the arc, while Maluach and Ngongba reduce Flagg’s defensive burden with their proficiency inside the paint.
Keatts won’t like to hear this, but Flagg didn’t fall into the Blue Devils’ lap out of the sky: Scheyer spent years recruiting the freshman, and Duke has spent decades cultivating a brand that attracts top prospects from around the world. In a similar vein, building a team both talented and tough enough to win its first 10 conference games is no easy task, even with Flagg’s prodigious presence.
The 2024-25 Blue Devils are a special bunch. Their success and championship-winning potential are the result of much more than just one player.
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Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.