By Jeysla Gonzalez

2 1 2025

DUKE GAME NOTES

https://goduke.com/documents/2025/1/31/North_Carolina__02-01-25_.pdf

The Opening Tip

• No. 2 Duke battles rival North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) and Tar Heels (13-9, 6-4 ACC) tip off at 6:30 p.m., with the game broadcast live on ESPN.
• Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Jess Sims will call the action on ESPN. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
• Saturday will be 263rd rendition of the famous rivalry, with North Carolina leading the overall series, 145-117. The Blue Devils lead the Tar Heels, 56-52, when playing in Durham, including a 47-40 ledger at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Across the last 100 meetings between the two foes, Duke holds the edge, 51-49.
• Duke has won 14 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the nation.
• Duke’s 14-game win streak is the longest by the Blue Devils since the 2014-15 season.
• Duke’s 10-0 start in ACC play is the best by the Blue Devils since the 2007-08 season (10-0).
• The Blue Devils rank second in the nation in scoring margin (+20.5), fifth in field goal percentage defense (.372), fifth in scoring defense (59.6), ninth in rebound margin (+9.7), 17th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.62), 25th in three-pointers per game (10.1) and 32nd in assists per game (16.8) – all top marks in the ACC.
• Duke is the only team in the country ranked among the top-six in both offensive (6th) and defensive efficiency (3rd), according to KenPom.
• Duke is the only Division I team to score 80 points or more per game (80.0) and hold its opponents to fewer than 60 points per game (59.6).
• North Carolina is the second-highest scoring offense in the ACC and ranks 29th in the nation, averaging 82.5 points per contest.
• The Blue Devils are 43-3 (.935) at home in three seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer.
• Cooper Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, tops Duke in points (398), rebounds (159), assists (82), steals (29) and blocked shots (24).
• Flagg ranks among the ACC’s top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories – scoring (2nd), rebounding (6th), assists (7th) and blocks (8th), while ranking 13th for steals.
• In the last seven games, Sion James has distributed 31 assists with just eight turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.9.
• Kon Knueppel made three three-pointers in the first half against NC State. The Blue Devils are 10-0 when Knueppel makes at least three shots from deep in a game.

Last Time Out

• No. 2 Duke battles rival North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• A 19-point scoring run, spanning the halftime break, propelled No. 2 Duke past NC State, 74-64, on Monday, Jan. 27.
• The Blue Devils received double-digit scoring performances from Cooper Flagg (28), Kon Knueppel (19) and Sion James (13) to move past the Wolfpack.
• With the win, Duke extended its winning streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the country and the Blue Devils’ first stretch of 14 wins in a row since the 2014-15 campaign.
• The Blue Devils moved to 10-0 in conference play, giving them their best start to ACC action since the 2007-08 squad also opened 10-0.
• Flagg scored 23 of his points after halftime, while James scored his season high to go four rebounds and three steals. Knueppel tallied his second conseuctive double-digit scoring output and swiped three steals, a new career high.
• The Blue Devils finished the month of January undefeated (7-0), joining their spotless December (6-0), going undefeated across those two months for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
• Duke outscored the Wolfpack 19-0 across the first and second halves, closing the first frame on a 7-0 run and tallying the first 12 points after intermission. The 19 consecutive points, spanning 15:34 of game time, is the longest scoring run by the Blue Devils this season.
• Duke overcame a 13-point first-half deficit, marking the third time this season the Blue Devils have rallied for a victory after trailing by double figures (Auburn, Louisville, NC State).
• The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 42-27, and have out-rebounded 17 of their first 20 opponents this season.
• Duke’s defense limited NC State to 64 points and has held all but one unranked opponent under 65 points.
• Flagg now has 11 games with at least 20 points and has reached the threshold in five of his last seven games. Duke is 10-1 when Flagg scores 20 points or more.
• Knueppel made three first-half three-pointers and shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
• Knueppel has made at least three three-pointers in 10 games this season and Duke is 10-0 in those contests.
• Khaman Maluach brought in a game-high eight boards, including three on the offensive glass, and blocked a team-high two shots.

Duke Among Nation’s Top Defenses

• Duke is once again one of the top defenses in the country.
• KenPom ranks the Blue Devils as the third-best defense in the nation with an adjusted defense efficiency rating of 87.6 (as of Jan. 30).
• This season, Duke ranks fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.372) and fifth in scoring defense (59.6) – both top marks in the ACC.
• Last season, the 2023-24 Blue Devils finished the season 16th in the nation in defense efficiency (95.2), and ranked 28th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 66.3 points per game.
• In 2022-23, Jon Scheyer‘s first season as head coach, Duke finished the season 16th in the nation in defense efficiency (93.9), and ranked 24th in three-point percentage defense (.305), 27th in field goal percentage defense (.406) and 30th in scoring defense (63.6).

Flagg Collecting Accolades and Making History

• Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, secured a spot on the 2024-25 Associated Press preseason All-America Team.
• The 6-9 guard/forward was also announced as the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year and named to the Preseason All-ACC First Team, as chosen by a select media panel.
• Flagg collected 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the season-opener against Maine to become the first freshman in Duke history to have at least 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in their debut.
• Flagg was the first Duke player in the last 40 years to amass 50+ points, 25+ rebounds and 10+ assists in his first three career games, per ESPN.
• Flagg was voted as the ACC Men’s Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week on Nov. 25, becoming the first player to earn both honors in the same week since Feb. 3, 2020, when Duke’s Vernon Carey, Jr., accomplished the same feat.
• Flagg has posted six double-doubles this season, including four with 20 points or more and two of those against ranked opponents, collecting 26 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 19 Kentucky and 22 points and 11 caroms against No. 2 Auburn.
• Flagg became the only 17-year-old in NCAA history to register multiple 20-point double-doubles, according to Real Sports.
• In Duke’s four top-25 matchups, Flagg averaged 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
• After registering a pair of 20-point double-doubles without committing a turnover against No. 2 Auburn and at Louisville, Flagg was declared the Associated Press and Lute Olson National Player of the Week and the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 9).
• Flagg is just the sixth player in Duke history to score at least 200 points and grab at least 100 rebounds within Duke’s first 13 games of the respective season, joining Jabari Parker (278 points/104 rebounds in 2013-14), Marvin Bagley III (274/142 in 2017-18), Zion Williamson (263/123 in 2018-19), Jahill Okafor (253/113 in 2014-15) and Vernon Carey Jr. (233/117 in 2019-20).
• Flagg broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame (Jan. 11), becoming the youngest player in NCAA history to have a 40-point game, according to Real Sports.
• Flagg has been voted as the ACC Rookie of the Week seven times (Nov. 18, Nov. 25, Dec. 9, Dec. 23, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 20) and the ACC Player of the Week three times (Nov. 25, Jan. 6, Jan. 13).
• On Jan. 13, Flagg became the first player in ACC history to sweep the conference weekly awards (player and rookie of the week) three times. He is the fifth player in the history of the league to sweep the conference’s weekly awards multiple times in a season, joining four former Blue Devils – Vernon Carey Jr. (2019-20), Zion Williamson (2018-19), Marvin Bagley III (2017-18) and Jabari Parker (2013-14), who each did so twice.
• The freshman achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the fall 2024 semester.
• Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, currently leads Duke in points (398), rebounds (159), assists (82), steals (29) and blocked shots (24).
• Flagg ranks among the ACC’s top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories – scoring (2nd), rebounding (6th), assists (7th) and blocks (8th), while ranking 13th for steals.
• Flagg currently leads the KenPom Player of the Year Standings with a 2.703 rating, ahead of Auburn’s Johni Broome (2.262) and Purdue’s Braden Smith (1.594).

On This Date

• Duke has a record of 20-11 on Feb. 1.
• The Blue Devils have split the last eight contests on this date.
• Duke is 8-4 at home on Feb. 1, winning four of its past five games in Cameron on this date, with the lone exception coming in 2001 in a top-5 clash with North Carolina (85-83).
• The Blue Devils and Tar Heels have met three times on Feb. 1, with Duke winning in 1930 and 1952 in Chapel Hill, and North Carolina victorious in 2001 in Durham.

All-Access with Coach Jon Scheyer Debuts

• The weekly television show, “Duke All-Access with Jon Scheyer,” is back for its third season in 2024-25.
• The 30-minute show features Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils team. Presented in magazine format and produced by John Roth, the show also includes informative player features and behind-the-scenes access to the Duke program.
• A production of Blue Devil Sports Properties from LEARFIELD, the show will air locally on ABC-11 WTVD on Saturday, Feb. 1, at midnight ET and is live streamed on ABC11.com Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET. It is also available regionally across the FanDuel Sports Network on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. ET; and on MASN Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. ET. It can also be viewed via the Duke Athletics YouTube Channel and archived on GoDuke.com.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeMBB”.

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