Flagg silences Arizona crowd as Duke aces roadway test

• Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff WriterNov 23, 2024, 02:28 AM ET

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  • Covers college basketball
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2011
  • Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

TUCSON, Ariz.– Seconds after No. 12 Duke’s players ran onto the court for pregame introductions at the McKale Center on Friday night, somebody in the crowd hurled a beer can in their direction.That minute did not define the largely positive and dynamic environment at the arena, where Cooper Flagg’s 24-point effort led the Blue Devils to a 69-55 win over No. 17 Arizona.But throughout the game, developing security and regional authorities collected near Duke’s tunnel and the group’s family and friends area due to the fact that of concerns that additional things would be tossed, sources informed ESPN. Those very same security and authorities personnel went into the Arizona trainee area at halftime to attend to at least one fan’s behavior.Duke coach Jon Scheyer stated he didn’t discover the off-court mayhem, a metaphor for the way his group responded in

its first true road game of the season.Editor’s Picks 2 Related”I didn’t even see that,” Scheyer said afterward about the beer-can event.”First off, I believed the environment and environment was excellent. I imply, people were considerate. I thought there was simply a big-time college basketball crowd, however at the end of the day, the crowd does not control how you protect, how you run back on defense, how you take care of the ball.”More than 14,000-plus collected for the extremely expected match involving a pair of teams that had not fulfilled in Tucson because the 1980s. The noteworthy characters in the

crowd offered the game a prime-time ambiance. Flagg, the forecasted No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and his colleagues dealt with an Arizona squad led by Caleb Love, a preseason All-American. Mike Bibby and Gilbert Arenas, a pair of former NBA stars who anchored a few of Arizona’s greatest groups, sat in the front row. Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal found his seat beside theirs early

in the game, and Beal’s teammates Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen– who starred on Duke’s 2014-15 national title team– sat behind the Blue Devils’bench.Bryce James, the boy of LeBron James and a prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, went to the matchup with his mom, Savannah.Flagg delivered his finest performance this season in another high-profile match, more than a week after he committed numerous turnovers in the last seconds of a loss to Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. Arizona appeared to confine him in the very first half, but Flagg dominated after the break, scoring 16 points.Flagg, who shot 10-of-22 from the field, also ended up with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.” He is high, athletic, and he can complete over a great deal of bodies,”Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, who led his team with 18 points, said of Flagg.”He’s simply incredibly athletic. I feel like we did an excellent task of containing him in the first half. I believe we just went away from the tactical plan and after that didn’t talk, didn’t interact as a group, and he discovered openings in our defense. He supplies inequality problems for them. We get a smaller sized guard on him, he can take us inside and use his strength, his height advantage. We get a bigger guy on him, he can play fast, play fast and have the ability to shoot over the top or manage him.”As his group went into halftime up 34-27, Scheyer stated,”We have actually been here before,” referencing Duke’s halftime lead over Kentucky in the Champions Classic loss. But Duke prevented a comparable fate Friday when Flagg, Tyrese Proctor(8 points, 4 helps, 4 rebounds )and Kon Knueppel (13 points, 3-for-6

on 3-pointers)wouldn’t yield.” It was a top-level college basketball game,”Flagg said.”It was really physical, and they’re a really physical group. So I guess I discovered my footing [in the second half]”Arizona got in the game ranked top five in changed pace on KenPom, and the Wildcats were likewise the leading offensive

rebounding team in the country. But against the Blue Devils, Arizona scored just six points on fast breaks and got only 6 offending rebounds.After the game, the fears of security and authorities personnel were not understood. There were no more events, and Duke’s players, staff, relative and buddies all securely left the building without issue.The Blue Devils, who next face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday, had actually weathered storms on and off the court in their very first real roadway test.

Scheyer stated he was impressed by his team’s resilience in a hostile environment, particularly as Arizona tried to close the space late.”I thought there were a number of stretches at the beginning of the 2nd half late when I think it got cut to 8 points … but to have the maturity to respond to and then return on defense, I think that’s a credit to these guys,”he stated.” We’ve done a great deal of game situations this year and in the preseason [in practice]

, but it’s really the maturity by them.”