RALEIGH, N.C. — Heading into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Duke played two games and change without star forward Cooper Flagg, a stretch that did not derail the Blue Devils’ season or change their identity much, if at all. But on Thursday, about 24 hours before starting their tournament run at Lenovo Center, Kon Knueppel, another stud freshman for Duke, framed Flagg’s left ankle sprain as a positive. Coach Jon Scheyer did, too. Knueppel said, without their best player, the Blue Devils had to move more off-ball on offense, something that could make them more dangerous this month (if that’s possible). Scheyer added that sitting out helped Flagg specifically, letting him rest for a weekend and regain explosiveness.
These are things people say in sports, classic athlete- or coach-speak. Have you ever heard an athlete express gratitude for an injury, you know, because of all those learns they’ll learn? Odds are that, 11 times out of 10, they would rather be on the court or field or ice, oblivious that something like their hamate bone even exists. Duke, though, might have some logical points with Flagg’s quick setback. Unforeseen rest can always help, especially toward the end of his first college season. And if the Blue Devils improved their offensive spacing just a tiny bit, well … look out, rest of the field.
No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s wasn’t the perfect test case to help gauge that. But as far as No. 1 vs. No. 16 games go in March Madness, Duke never left room for doubt. In a 93-49 win over the Mountaineers, Flagg, flying at 100 percent again, finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Tyrese Proctor, a 6-6 guard on a team of giants, canned six threes. The Blue Devils (32-3) dissected the Mountaineers from the opening minutes, when Flagg rolled off a screen, caught a pass near the top of the key, then flicked a one-handed lob to center Khaman Maluach for an alley-oop. Their possessions continued like that, methodical, aimed at getting good looks at the rim. They went into halftime with 13 assists to one turnover.
Duke will next see ninth-seeded Baylor in Raleigh on Sunday. A trip to the Sweet 16 will be on the line.
Mount St. Mary’s, led by first-year coach Donny Lind, finished with a program-record for wins (23-13). To make the Big Dance, it won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. To make it to Raleigh, the Mountaineers beat American in a play-in game Wednesday, earning top placement on ESPN’s homepage. But amid the hysteria, they also learned what life is like for bottom seeds. After knocking off American, they sat on the tarmac for two hours in Dayton, Ohio, eventually landing in North Carolina after 3 a.m. Their athletic director later took a 26-minute nap to recharge. And when the games began here, it was Mount St. Mary’s — a school of 2,000-plus in Emmitsburg, Maryland — who had to face Duke, the powerhouse playing just 20 miles from campus.
As Knueppel promised, Duke’s off-ball movement was sharp from the tip. Relentless cuts freed up shooters. Midway through the first half, Flagg cut weak side and Patrick Ngongba II, the team’s backup center, hit him in stride with a bounce pass. Flagg dunked with two hands, just not before cocking the ball midair. He then stuck out his tongue, a clip that might get played a couple of times in the coming weeks.
Maluach, Duke’s 7-2 center, splashed an open three from the wing. Then he caught two more alley-oops, making the announcers on the game broadcast wonder whether he is the most dangerous lob threat in the tournament. The Blue Devils’ reserves ripped off a 14-0 run late. Proctor was hot from deep. As was Caleb Foster, who hit three threes off the bench.
Starting with Baylor on Sunday, the Blue Devils will face much more athleticism and skill moving forward. Or in other words, Friday looked how it was supposed to for Duke, which entered the tournament with the best net rating in the country — third in offense, fourth in defense — according to the analytics site KenPom. If Duke is, indeed, a super team with few discernible flaws, it will have the chances to prove it, each remaining game the biggest of a season without many hiccups. And if Scheyer believes that rest for Flagg is a way to make them even better, the Blue Devils are in luck.
The freshman didn’t play the final 10 minutes 53 seconds of Friday’s win.
