The ACC Tournament went from being an afterthought to a compelling storyline due to the unfortunate injury to Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg. With him sitting out of the rest of the tournament, made the Blue Devils suddenly vulnerable to a potential bid thief such as rival North Carolina.
The Heels needed to beat Duke to get an at-large bid or risk sweating it out on Selection Sunday. Without Flagg, UNC made it more than a game, having a lead with less than a minute to go. However, a lane violation in the final seconds by Jae’lyn Withers, cost them dearly.
Kon "MVP" Knueppel 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xdTD8M8YVd
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 16, 2025
Duke won the game, 74-71, led by 17 points from the team’s other star freshman, Kon Knueppel. He played a team-high 38 minutes and made a trio of three-pointers in the game to potentially push the Tar Heels out of the NCAA Tournament picture.
But Knueppel wasn’t done yet, as he scored 18 points and eight rebounds in 38 minutes in Duke’s 73-62 win over Louisville in the ACC Championship, wanting ACC Tournament MVP honors. It was a big week for the freshman wing, getting the main spotlight without Flagg around.
Kon Knueppel: “I told Pat to not do anything stupid like getting a lane violation.” pic.twitter.com/ZQHK3dxiwG
— JMann_ (@JMannsTakes) March 15, 2025
Knueppel also made headlines at the post-game of the UNC win, taking a jab at North Carolina in the process. There’s still a chance that the Tar Heels is one of the last four teams to make it in the NCAA Tournament, but that lane violation could be what does them in. And if that happens, it’ll just be the latest in a long saga of storylines in the Duke vs North Carolina storied rivalry.
As for Knueppel and Duke, they’ll be waiting to see who is in its Region for the NCAA Tournament, as a 1 seed is all but guaranteed. Now, they just need to know when Flagg will be back.