Tag: Arizona Wildcats

Chiefs scouting report: Arizona Wildcats CB Tacario Davis

Arizona #Wildcats cornerback Tacario Davis could be a target for the Kansas City #Chiefs in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered several injuries in their cornerback room this season that exposed a lack of depth. Expect general manager Brett Veach to target reinforcements in the 2025 NFL draft.

Arizona Wildcats standout Tacario Davis is a young, tall cornerback prospect with excellent arm length that helps him jam and re-route wide receivers. He uses patient footwork in off-man and zone assignments to mirror smaller, more agile receivers. Davis’ long legs and tall frame lead to some natural stiffness, but he flips his hips well for a cornerback with his build.

Davis absorbs routes at the top of the stem in off-man coverage and uses his arm length advantage to deter throws. He drives receivers toward the sideline on vertical routes, which narrows the throwing window. Davis lacks elite speed but offers sufficient juice to stay in phase and carry most receivers vertically.

Davis’ tools suggest he fits the mold of a press corner, but some of the limitations created by his size make him a better fit for zone assignments early in his career. He will play more press coverage once he perfects his technique and drives more power through his jams.

Davis is still developing his instincts in zone coverage, but his flashes of recognizing and attempting to jump routes suggest he’s headed in the right direction. He makes the most of his length at the catch point. Davis plays the ball from unique angles and blots out the sun in jump ball situations. He rakes the receiver’s hands to strip potential receptions.

Arizona hosts the No. 16 Arizona Sun Devils in the 98th edition of the Territorial Cup on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST.

Duke basketball phenom Cooper Flagg named one of the USBWA Players of the Week

Cooper Flagg was named one of the Oscar Robertson Trophy Players of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association on Tuesday.

The Duke Blue Devils spent Tuesday preparing for a showdown with No. 1 Kansas, but freshman phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] added yet another accolade to his resume before tipoff.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association revealed its five Oscar Robertson Trophy Players of the Week on Tuesday, including the 17-year-old forward after he scored 24 points against Arizona.

Flagg helped the Blue Devils clinch a 69-55 victory at McKale Memorial Center, the team’s first top-25 win and first true road win of the season, by scoring 16 points over the final 20 minutes. He scored 10 straight for Duke midway through the half, countering two Wildcats’ 3-pointers to prevent an Arizona run from closing the gap.

Flagg added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal to his final line before the clock ran out. Through five collegiate games, he’s collected two 20-point performances (both against ranked teams) and a pair of double-doubles, and he leads the Blue Devils in all five major statistical categories.

Duke basketball just misses the top five in Andy Katz’s power rankings

With a battle against top-ranked Kansas on the horizon, Andy Katz left the Blue Devils just outside the top five of his power rankings.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz released his updated national power rankings on Monday, and the Blue Devils sit on the doorstep of the top five after their road victory over Arizona.

Katz put Duke sixth behind the Kansas Jayhawks, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Connecticut Huskies, Auburn Tigers, and Kentucky Wildcats after the third week of the regular season.

The Blue Devils coughed up a halftime lead to the Wildcats in Atlanta in their third game, but freshman phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his teammates found redemption in Tucson with a 69-55 victory over the Wildcats. Arizona entered the game with the best rebounding margin in the country, but Duke won the battle of the boards 43-30 and Flagg tacked on 16 of his 24 points after halftime.

The 17-year-old earned ACC Player of the Week honors for his efforts, his first time winning the award, and took home his second straight ACC Rookie of the Week title.

The Blue Devils face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, but analytics sites like KenPom think Duke might actually be the better team despite the standings.

Cooper Flagg sweeps ACC Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week awards

Cooper Flagg won his second straight ACC Rookie of the Week award on Monday, this time pairing it with ACC Player of the Week honors.

Duke basketball phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] won ACC Player of the Week and ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Monday thanks to his 24-point performance against Arizona.

Flagg added 16 of his points in the second half against the Wildcats, adding six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal to the Blue Devils’ first top-25 victory of the season.

Flagg also won Rookie of the Week last week thanks to a 26-point performance against the Kentucky Wildcats. Duke has actually swept that award to start the year with fellow five-star [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] winning that same honor after his first two games.

This is the first time a Blue Devil has been named ACC Player of the Year this season.

Through his first five collegiate games, Flagg is averaging 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds. 3.8 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.8 steals, leading Duke in all five categories. No other player in the country leads his team in each of those statistics. He’s put together a pair of 20-point games and two double-doubles.

Duke basketball stays outside the top 10 of the AP Poll despite Arizona win

The Duke Blue Devils only moved up one spot in the AP Poll on Monday, but they can reshape the rankings this coming week.

The Associated Press released its updated AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday, and the Blue Devils only moved up one spot to No. 11 despite a big victory.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scored 24 points during the Friday night win over Arizona, and the Wildcats only scored 55 points thanks to Duke’s 43-30 advantage on the glass. Despite leaving McKale Memorial Center with a top-25 victory, however, the voters wanted to see more before putting the Blue Devils back in the top 10.

If Flagg and his teammates want to move back toward the top spot, however, they’ll have chances in the next two weeks. The Blue Devils face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday, a game that some analytics websites actually favor Duke in, and the No. 4 Auburn Tigers travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 4.

Despite the questions voters seem to still have after the early loss, there was a moral victory for the Blue Devils on Monday. The North Carolina Tar Heels dropped two spots to No. 11 in the updated rankings, making Duke the top team in the ACC once again.

Duke star Cooper Flagg is the only college basketball player doing this through five games

Through five games of his collegiate career, Duke phenom Cooper Flagg is the only player in the nation managing this statistical feat.

It felt impossible for Duke basketball phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] to match the offseason hype as a generational prospect, but through his first five games, the 17-year-old looks like he can fill those massive shoes.

Flagg scored 24 points during Duke’s 69-55 road win over No. 17 Arizona on Friday night, clinching the Blue Devils’ first ranked victory of the season and improving the team to 4-1.

Thanks to another 26-point performance against the Kentucky Wildcats last week, the Maine native leads the Blue Devils with 17.8 points per game. He also leads the team with 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Oh, and his 1.8 steals are the most on the roster. So are his 1.8 blocks.

Despite not turning 18 until December, Flagg is the only player in the country leading his team in all five major statistical categories.

The first-year Blue Devil already has two double-doubles to his name, pulling down 11 rebounds against both Army and Kentucky, and he’s logged multiple blocks in each of the last four games. Despite his reputation growing around his athleticism and defense, he’s also made six 3-pointers.

Duke basketball remains second in the ESPN Basketball Power Index after Arizona win

Here’s where the Duke Blue Devils sit in the Basketball Power Index produced by ESPN after their road win over Arizona.

With their 69-55 victory over the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night, the Duke Blue Devils held fast at second in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

While the Blue Devils now have the best defensive efficiency rating in the country according to KenPom, another popular college basketball analytics website, BPI thinks the Duke offense is its strength. The Blue Devils’ offensive grade of 12.9 sits atop the entire nation, and with [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scoring 24 points against the Wildcats, it’s easy to see why.

Through five games, Duke is averaging 84.6 points per game while shooting 37.0% from 3-point range. The gap between the Blue Devils and third in the BPI offensive rankings (Gonzaga, 11.3) is larger than the gap between the Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats in ninth.

Duke’s defense doesn’t lag far behind, however. The Blue Devils held Wofford to 35 points, a program record in the shot clock era, last Saturday, and they’re allowing 57.4 points at a time. Their 9.9 defensive grade from the Basketball Power Index sits in fourth, and the Houston Cougars are the only team above them in the net ranking.

The Blue Devils’ upcoming opponent, No. 1 Kansas, sits at No. 10 in the BPI rankings.

Where is Duke basketball in the KenPom rankings after Friday’s win over Arizona?

After Friday night’s win over the Arizona Wildcats, here’s an update on where Duke basketball stands in the KenPom rankings.

The Duke Blue Devils picked up their first top-25 victory of the 2024-25 season on Friday night, a 69-55 road triumph over Caleb Love and the Arizona Wildcats, and they stuck within the top five of the KenPom rankings as a result.

As of Sunday morning, the popular analytics site ranked Duke as the fourth-best team in the country. While the Blue Devils have fallen outside of the top 10 in offensive efficiency, they took over the top spot in defensive efficiency thanks to their last two suffocating performances.

Duke held Wofford to 35 points, a program record in the shot-clock era, last Saturday, and the Blue Devils are allowing 87.3 adjusted points per 100 defensive possessions.

The KenPom metrics actually have Duke above No. 1 Kansas, its next opponent. Despite sitting atop every national ranking, the Jayhawks are just eighth in the adjusted efficiency margin. Only the Houston Cougars, Auburn Tigers, and Gonzaga Bulldogs remain ahead of the Blue Devils.

The best Duke basketball photos from Friday’s victory over the Arizona Wildcats

Check out the best photos from the Duke basketball victory over Arizona on Friday night.

The Duke Blue Devils walked out of McKale Memorial Center with a 69-55 victory over the No. 17 Arizona Wildcats on Friday night, their first top-25 win of the season.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] continued his impressive freshman season with 24 points, including 16 in the second half. The 6-foot-9 freshman phenom added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal to his final tally, and he once again took over the game for Duke in the second half. From 12:31 to 5:20 left in the game, Flagg scored all 10 of the team’s points to fend off an Arizona comeback attempt.

Fellow five-star freshman [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] made three 3-pointers in the second half to end with 13, but Blue Devils fans probably drew the most satisfaction from the struggles of one Arizona star. Caleb Love, a former North Carolina Tar Heels star who beat Duke five times in his first eight career meetings, ended with eight points after he missed eight of his nine 3-point attempts in the loss.

Here are the best photos from Friday’s victory in the desert.

Caleb Love manages just eight points in his final regular-season game against Duke

In what will likely be his last of nine career meetings with the Duke Blue Devils, Caleb Love failed to reach double-digits on Friday.

The Duke Blue Devils won’t avenge their 2022 Final Four loss with a regular-season game, but closing the lengthy rivalry against [autotag]Caleb Love[/autotag] with a victory probably still feels sweet.

Love, a former North Carolina Tar Heels star, scored just eight points in his ninth (and likely final) game against the Blue Devils on Friday, a 69-55 Duke victory.

Love made just three of his 13 shots for the game, including one 3-pointer on nine attempts. He added four rebounds and four assists, but he missed three straight triples in a 90-second span midway through the second half.

A three-year UNC starter who transferred to Arizona ahead of the 2023-24 season, Love won five of his previous eight battles with Duke. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in those games, but his eight points on Friday tied his lowest in any matchup with the Blue Devils.

Now a fifth-year senior with the Wildcats, Love is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 32.0% from the floor and 21.4% from 3-point range this season. Arizona is 2-2 after back-to-back losses.