NEWARK, N.J. – In the opening moments of the East Region Final, Duke University freshman forward Cooper Flagg nailed a three-pointer to put his team ahead.
The Blue Devils did not look back.
No. 1 seeded Duke booked their ticket to the NCAA Final Four with an 85-65, wire-to-wire victory over the No. 2 seeded University of Alabama.
The Blue Devils spread the love offensively as well. Four separate Blue Devils all had over 10 points. Freshman guard Kon Knueppel lead the way offensively, scoring 21 points, shooting 6-15 from the field.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said that Knueppel is one of the many powerful weapons he has at his disposal.
“His versatility is huge for us, and his size,” Scheyer said. “He’s able to pass. He’s able to finish. You feel he’s always going to get off a good look because he has great pivots in the paint and great patience.”
Flagg showed his utility in all areas of the game, finishing with 16 points, shooting 6-16 from the field, while recording eight rebounds and three assists. He said while it wasn’t his best night numbers-wise, he had more than enough support from his teammates.
“We just have such a talented team,” Flagg said. “Each night could be somebody else’s night. [Knueppel] kind of stepped up and had the ball a lot. We ran a lot of actions for him. [Junior guard Tyrese Proctor] was huge for us.”
The Crimson Tide did not enjoy the dominance from the three point line that they had in Thursday’s record breaking Sweet 16 game.
Alabama senior guard Mark Sears had only six points in the game and shot a mere 2-12 from the field, making 1-5 from three. He said that Duke’s defense made it challenging to shoot from downtown.
“They were just building out,” Sears said. “When we would drive, they would build out, and they had a great rim protector at the rim making it hard on us.”
As a team, the Crimson Tide shot 35% from the field, only connecting on 8-32 three point attempts.
For Alabama, they fell short of their goal of back to back final four appearances. Crimson Tide Head Coach Nate Oats said physical mismatched stifled his team’s offense
“They’ve got length all over the place,” Oats said. “You look at their starting lineup, they’ve got [freshman center] Khaman Maluach who has a 9’8 reach, he protects the rim at a high level… Then they’ve got Cooper at, 6’9″, then everybody else is 6’6″ or taller. So they’ve got length.”
It’s Duke’s first final four appearance under Scheyer. The third year head coach has had to fill the shoes of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski who preceded him with five national championships.
Scheyer said that this group of players bought into the program’s winning mentality.
“[I] couldn’t be more proud of the team as a whole,” Scheyer said. “Their attitudes the whole season, from day one, I think this group has been different. They make fun of me. I keep telling them, don’t change, keep being them.”
Flagg, who is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, was named the East Region’s most valuable player. He credited his teammates and coaches for supporting him throughout the tournament.
“I mean, obviously it’s a big honor. It’s a blessing,” Flagg said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the guys sitting next to me and the guys in the locker room. All credit to them, the coaches for putting me in really good situations, spots on the court, giving me the ball in the right spots. And then just allowing me to play free off the ball, on the ball, whatever it was, just letting me be me.”
The Blue Devil standard of excellence remains. They will make their 18th Final Four appearance and are in pursuit of their sixth national championship.
Junior guard Sion James said that while making the Final Four is an expectation for the program, making it this stage is not a guarantee.
“Just because we go to Duke or play for Duke doesn’t mean we’re going to be in the Final Four every year,” James said. “It’s a grind. We had to work from the minute we got here to get to this position. But it’s really cool to know that we’re following in the footsteps of some of the Duke greats and have a chance to make Duke history next week.”
Duke awaits their final four opponents. Freshman center Khaman Maluach said that he’s prepared for the next challenge.
“To me, it’s a blessing,” Maluach said. “It’s great to be in this position, doing it with such a special group of guys. I believe for all of us it’s our first time in the Final Four, and we’re ready for this, and we’re excited for the next step.”
