Cooper Flagg scores 24 points, leads No. 12 Duke to a 69-55 road win over No. 17 Arizona
Cooper Flagg's 24-point night leads Duke to victory
Duke's star freshman Cooper Flagg scores 24 points with six rebounds to lead the No. 12 Blue Devils past No. 17 Arizona.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- — Cooper Flagg scored 24 points, Kon Knueppel added 13 and the pair of freshmen led No. 12 Duke past No. 17 Arizona 69-55 on Friday night.
Flagg drove the lane and threw down a one-handed jam in traffic to give the Blue Devils a 46-33 lead with 12:27 left. The preseason All-America pick shot 10 of 22 from the field and added six rebounds and three assists.
Duke (4-1) never trailed in the second half.
Arizona (2-2), which has lost two straight, cut the margin to 54-48 on Jaden Bradley's layup with 5:40 left but couldn't get closer. Bradley led the team with 18 points, while KJ Lewis added 12.
Duke led 34-27 and had a 22-14 rebounding advantage at halftime, closing on a 6-0 run.
Duke: The Blue Devils handled their first true road game with poise despite having three freshmen in the starting lineup. The physical performance against a team with a pair of 7-footers bodes well for the future.
Arizona: The Wildcats were bothered by Duke's size, strength and athleticism, losing lots of 50-50 battles for loose balls and offensive rebounds.
Knueppel grabbed his own offensive rebound, dribbled out to the perimeter and then hit a 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils a 42-31 lead with 15:33 left. It was Duke's first double-digit lead of the night.
Arizona's Caleb Love — a preseason All-America selection along with Flagg — finished with just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. Love averaged nearly 17 points per game in eight previous games against the Blue Devils, dating back to his time at North Carolina.
Duke plays No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and Arizona plays Davidson on Wednesday in the Bahamas.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Roger Ayers
- Marques Pettigrew
- Doug Sirmons
2024-25 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 10-0 | - | 18-2 |
| Clemson | 9-1 | 1 | 17-4 |
| Louisville | 9-1 | 1 | 16-5 |
| Wake Forest | 7-3 | 3 | 15-6 |
| SMU | 6-3 | 3.5 | 15-5 |
| Stanford | 6-3 | 3.5 | 14-6 |
| North Carolina | 6-3 | 3.5 | 13-8 |
| Pittsburgh | 4-4 | 5 | 13-6 |
| Florida State | 4-5 | 5.5 | 13-7 |
| California | 4-5 | 5.5 | 11-9 |
| Notre Dame | 3-5 | 6 | 9-10 |
| Syracuse | 3-6 | 6.5 | 9-11 |
| Georgia Tech | 3-6 | 6.5 | 9-11 |
| Virginia Tech | 3-6 | 6.5 | 8-12 |
| Virginia | 2-7 | 7.5 | 9-11 |
| NC State | 2-7 | 7.5 | 9-11 |
| Boston College | 1-8 | 8.5 | 9-11 |
| Miami | 0-9 | 9.5 | 4-16 |
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 8-0 | - | 16-3 |
| Arizona | 8-1 | 0.5 | 14-6 |
| Iowa State | 7-2 | 1.5 | 17-3 |
| Texas Tech | 6-2 | 2 | 15-4 |
| Kansas | 5-3 | 3 | 14-5 |
| Baylor | 5-3 | 3 | 13-6 |
| BYU | 4-4 | 4 | 13-6 |
| UCF | 4-4 | 4 | 13-6 |
| West Virginia | 4-4 | 4 | 13-6 |
| Utah | 3-5 | 5 | 11-8 |
| TCU | 3-5 | 5 | 10-9 |
| Cincinnati | 2-6 | 6 | 12-7 |
| Arizona State | 2-6 | 6 | 11-8 |
| Oklahoma State | 2-6 | 6 | 10-9 |
| Kansas State | 2-6 | 6 | 8-11 |
| Colorado | 0-8 | 8 | 9-10 |
Men's College Basketball News