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 | 19-1 | - | 31-3 |
| Clemson | 18-2 | 1 | 27-6 |
| Louisville | 18-2 | 1 | 27-7 |
| SMU | 13-7 | 6 | 23-10 |
| Wake Forest | 13-7 | 6 | 21-11 |
| North Carolina | 13-7 | 6 | 22-13 |
| Stanford | 11-9 | 8 | 20-13 |
| Georgia Tech | 10-10 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Florida State | 8-12 | 11 | 17-15 |
| Pittsburgh | 8-12 | 11 | 17-15 |
| Virginia | 8-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| Notre Dame | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-12 | 11 | 13-19 |
| Syracuse | 7-13 | 12 | 14-19 |
| California | 6-14 | 13 | 14-19 |
| NC State | 5-15 | 14 | 12-19 |
| Boston College | 4-16 | 15 | 12-19 |
| Miami | 3-17 | 16 | 7-24 |
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 19-1 | - | 30-4 |
| Texas Tech | 15-5 | 4 | 25-8 |
| BYU | 14-6 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Arizona | 14-6 | 5 | 22-12 |
| Iowa State | 13-7 | 6 | 24-9 |
| Kansas | 11-9 | 8 | 21-12 |
| West Virginia | 10-10 | 9 | 19-13 |
| Baylor | 10-10 | 9 | 19-14 |
| TCU | 9-11 | 10 | 16-16 |
| Kansas State | 9-11 | 10 | 16-17 |
| Utah | 8-12 | 11 | 16-16 |
| Cincinnati | 7-13 | 12 | 18-15 |
| UCF | 7-13 | 12 | 17-16 |
| Oklahoma State | 7-13 | 12 | 15-17 |
| Arizona State | 4-16 | 15 | 13-19 |
| Colorado | 3-17 | 16 | 14-20 |
Men's College Basketball News