In a slate that featured plenty of tournament games in the MTEs, the late-night matchup between Arizona and Duke Basketball was the game of the night. It started off well early on but long droughts between both teams made it a low-scoring game.
The Blue Devils had an 8-point halftime lead and kept the defense at a high level, doling the Wildcats to just 55 points overall in a 69-55 win and likely Quad 1 resume-builder. There was plenty to take away for Duke on this win, here are three specific keys from the game.
1. Defense is for real
In the Tommy Lloyd era, Arizona has been one of the best offenses in the country. So holding them to just 55 points at home is an impressive feat. The Blue Devils held them to under 40% shooting from the field, the same thing they did against Kentucky in the Champions Classic. On the season, the Blue Devils rank 8th nationally at 35% FG allowed and 12th with 54.7 ppg allowed. These are numbers you can win championships with.
2. Sion James needs an even larger role in the rotation
The backcourt had a great game defensively but was okay on offense. Tyrese Proctor played 34 minutes and produced eight points and four assists, while Caleb Foster had eight points in 26 minutes as a starter. Sion James, the transfer from Tulane, had six points and six rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. With freshman Kon Knueppel occupying all of the minutes at the three-spot, it’s now a 3-guard rotation for Duke. And a case can be made that James should have more of a role in it.
3. Too much on Flagg’s shoulders?
Duke won comfortably, so it’s not a major deal, but one telling stat was Cooper Flagg taking twice as many shots as any others, going 10/22 from the field with 24 points. Proctor and Knueppel had 11 each, combining for 7/18.
Flagg has looked every bit of the future No. 1 NBA Draft pick, but it’s a concern that his usage is as high as that of one of the most talented teams in the country. It could be costly for the Blue Devils whenever that “freshman wall” hits for the talented forward.