NEWARK, N.J. — Duke held onto a narrow 89-83 lead with three minutes left against Arizona, with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. Notorious Duke villain Caleb Love had scored 33 points on the night, and pulled up to attempt a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game, but freshman Khaman Maluach stretched out his entire 7-foot-2 frame to deflect his deep-range attempt.
Duke evaded Arizona’s half-court press and passed the ball to superstar freshman Cooper Flagg, who was subsequently fouled by K.J. Lewis and sent to the line. Flagg nailed both free throws, his 28th and 29th points of the game. Flagg was fouled once more, making 1-of-2 from the line to virtually seal the Blue Devils’ narrow 100-93 victory. The superstar freshman totaled 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and a steal in a masterclass of all-around basketball, the first Duke player to record 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
“That was one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” coach Jon Scheyer said of Flagg’s outing. “What I’ve wanted from him is not to defer. I’ve just wanted him to be fully him. And I thought he was in his element tonight. We need more of that on Saturday.”
After the Blue Devils exploded on offense to start the second half and amassed a 70-51 lead, Love improbably swished a corner three despite Tyrese Proctor’s close contest, kickstarting Arizona’s comeback attempt. Love then made another 3-pointer in transition, followed by two consecutive layups to total 31 points with eight minutes left. Thanks to Love and Blue Devil turnovers, the Wildcats embarked on a 8-0 run, cutting Duke’s advantage to just 78-71.
Foul trouble began to plague the Blue Devils in crunch time, with freshmen Patrick Ngongba II, Maluach and Kon Knueppel each picking up four fouls before the six-minute mark of the second period. After Flagg nailed a pair of free throws, Ngongba fouled out of the contest, and after Love dunked the basketball in transition, Duke led just 86-79 with 4:45 remaining.
“I thought the whole game we [made] some uncharacteristic plays that Arizona made us pay for,” Scheyer said. “Whether it's just the discipline you have to have off the ball, some of the loose balls we didn’t come up with. I love the fact that we weren’t perfect, and you’re not going to be perfect in these games. But just to hang tough … I thought we did a great job [of that].”
The dawn of the second half saw the Blue Devils double their halftime lead after just two-and-a-half minutes. First, Knueppel and Maluach connected on an alley-oop for an and-one, and then Flagg found a wide-open Sion James for an easy corner three. After the Wildcats’ Carter Bryant responded with a triple of his own, Flagg assisted Maluach for two more alley-oops, sandwiched by a Knueppel close-range make. Suddenly, Duke led 62-47.
The Blue Devils increasingly turned to the towering presences of Maluach and Ngongba, with Flagg particularly connecting with the pair. At the 13-minute mark, the ACC Player of the Year found Ngongba for an alley-oop. On the next possession, the Manassas, Va., native drove to the basket, spun and converted a floater through contact to make it a 19-point Duke lead. The Blue Devils did not miss a single second-half shot through the period’s opening six minutes.
At the 10-minute mark of the first half, freshman Isaiah Evans swished his first 3-pointer of the NCAA Tournament, extending Duke’s lead to 20-16. The Blue Devil defense steadily settled in during the opening period, forcing the Wildcats into longer possessions and a five-minute scoring drought. Love missed his first two shots, but then his first three ignited a 6-0 Arizona run which cut the Blue Devil lead to two.
The narrow contest continued through the opening 20 minutes, with superstars Flagg and Love trading blows in a titanic battle of offensive dominance. After only totaling eight points in the Wildcats’ 69-55 loss to Duke in November, Love scored 14 in the first half of the Sweet 16 battle. Meanwhile, Flagg excelled both inside the paint and from 3-point range to the tune of 18 first-half points. The Newport, Maine, native nailed a three at the buzzer to put the Blue Devils up 48-42 heading into the locker room.
James scored the Blue Devils’ first five points with a close-range finish and a corner three, but Arizona’s Anthony Dell’Orso answered with two 3-pointers of his own. Then, after a pair of made jumpers from the Wildcats’ Jaden Bradley and Trey Townsend, Arizona jumped out to an early 13-10 lead before the first media timeout.
Proctor got on the board with a deft floater, and then continued his scorching form by swishing a contested three and a second floater to give the Blue Devils a one-point advantage. The Sydney native followed up his career-high 25-point performance against Baylor by amassing seven points in the opening period. While he didn’t score in the second period, Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach led the way for Duke to defeat Arizona.
“We’ve built up an entire season of trust and teaching,” Scheyer said. “Everything we’ve done from the offseason to now has led to being mentally tough, physically tough and together for these moments. I thought our guys showed that poise, that togetherness. I have a bunch of guys [who] are killers. They’re fearless, and they sure weren’t afraid of this moment.”
Next up on the Blue Devils’ quest for a sixth national title is an Elite Eight matchup with Alabama Saturday back in the Prudential Center.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.