Tag: Duke basketball

UNC-Duke tabbed Game of the Week by famed college basketball analyst

UNC-Duke is the college basketball game to watch this week.

No matter the year, talent on each team or how each rival is progressing throughout their respective seasons, the North Carolina–Duke basketball rivalry never fails to disappoint.

UNC swept its hated Blue Devils in 2024, en route to an ACC Regular Season Championship and appearance in the ACC Championship Game. Duke got the last laugh, advancing to the Elite 8, but the Tar Heels have bragging rights from winning both head-to-head matchups.

As the college basketball world would have it, North Carolina and Duke are playing again on Saturday, February 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) look every bit of a National Championship contender, while UNC’s NCAA Tournament hopes are on life support.

Despite the direction of each program’s season, UNC-Duke was named college basketball analyst Andy Katz’ Game of the Week.

There’s a few other watch-worthy matchups on Katz’ Top 10 list, such as Florida–Tennessee and Kentucky-Ole Miss, but none that create the hype the Tobacco Road Rivalry can.

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Tar Heels fans almost had the opportunity to celebrate on Monday night, with NC State putting a scare into the Blue Devils, but superstar Cooper Flagg took over.

In North Carolina’s season of unpredictables, it stormed back and escaped Boston College in overtime Saturday, 102-96. RJ Davis put UNC on his back, scoring seven of his 22 points in the extra time period, while the Tar Heels generated some rare, defensive stops.

Duke hasn’t lost a game since November (I hope I’m summoning the writer’s jinx), when Kansas won, 75-72, in the Vegas Showdown.

We’re hoping North Carolina keeps Saturday’s showdown close, but don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils end things early.

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Duke basketball stays a No. 1 seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology projection

The Duke Blue Devils, now riding a 14-game win streak, are still a top seed in the latest Bracketology projection from Joe Lunardi.

The Duke Blue Devils found a way against the NC State Wolfpack on Monday, their second consecutive second-half sweat against an in-state rival. With an 18-2 record after 14 victories in a row, the team from Durham still looks like an inevitable No. 1 seed in the upcoming postseason bracket.

In a Tuesday update from ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi, the Blue Devils occupied the top spot in his East region. The Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Iowa State Cyclones occupied the other three No. 1 spots with Auburn listed as the top overall seed.

Lunardi pitted Duke against the Marist Red Foxes in the opening round. The hypothetical East region Lunardi put together could result in some fascinating matchups. The two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies could await the Blue Devils in the second game as the No. 8 seed, and the Michigan Wolverines could reignite some old rivalries as the No. 5 seed.

The Florida Gators, Michigan State Spartans, and Mississippi State Bulldogs took the top four seeds in the region.

Four other ACC teams found a spot in Lunardi’s bracket: the Louisville Cardinals (No. 6 in the West), Clemson Tigers (No. 7 in the South), Pittsburgh Panthers (No. 10 in the East), North Carolina Tar Heels (First Four)

Andy Katz names Duke-North Carolina basketball rivalry as his best game of the week

The North Carolina Tar Heels come to Cameron Indoor Stadium this weekend, and one analyst said Duke-UNC is always the game of the week.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz released his list of the 10 best games of the week on Monday, and with the North Carolina Tar Heels coming to Durham, there should be no surprise who is atop the list.

The Blue Devils should be heavily favored in the rivalry battle, even with two straight upset scares. Duke has won 14 consecutive games, undefeated since November 26, while the Tar Heels are 13-8 for the season and 6-3 in conference play.

The team from Chapel Hill has won seven of its last 10 games, however, with a pair of freshmen coming on strong. Ian Jackson has averaged 15.0 points while Drake Powell has put up 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. But the last three games have been a bit suspect for UNC. The Tar Heels lost to Stanford and Wake Forest, both games by a single point, before needing overtime to beat the 9-10 Boston College Eagles.

Saturday’s game will assuredly fly by, too. The Tar Heels are No. 14 in KenPom’s adjusted tempo metric while the Blue Devils absolutely thrive in transition.

The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.

Duke basketball drops to third in NET rankings despite Monday win over NC State

The Duke Blue Devils won their 14th consecutive game on Monday, but they still slipped down a spot in the NET rankings.

The Duke men’s basketball team won, albeit in a slightly ugly fashion, on Monday night. The 74-64 home victory over NC State included a 19-0 run around the halftime break, helping to overcome an early 35-22 deficit, to give the Blue Devils their 14th consecutive win.

However, as of Tuesday morning, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] and his team dropped from second to third in the men’s basketball NET rankings.

The Blue Devils have battled back an upset scare in two straight games now, letting Wake Forest start the second half on a 23-4 run to build a six-point lead with 10 minutes left on the clock on Saturday. Freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scored 24 points against the Demon Deacons and 28 more against NC State to save both games.

The Houston Cougars, who came back to beat the Kansas Jayhawks in thrilling fashion on the road on Saturday, jumped above the Blue Devils with their second Quad 1 victory. Houston, despite a perfect 4-0 road record, has also lost three Quad 1 games while the Blue Devils are 5-2 against top-tier opponents, but the Cougars have five Quad 2 triumphs to Duke’s two.

The Cougars and Blue Devils are both still staring up at the Auburn Tigers with their 11 Quad 1 victories and 18-1 record.

Where is Duke basketball in the ESPN BPI rankings after Monday’s win over NC State?

See where the Duke Blue Devils are in the ESPN Basketball Powder Index after Monday’s victory over the NC State Wolfpack.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] saved the day for Duke men’s basketball again on Monday night, scoring 23 of his 28 points after halftime in a comeback victory over the NC State Wolfpack. After another upset scare against an unranked in-state rival, however, the Blue Devils couldn’t quite grab the top spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

As of Tuesday morning, the Blue Devils are second in the ESPN metrics behind the Houston Cougars.

Monday’s win required a 13-point comeback over the final 24 minutes just two days after Duke coughed up a 13-point halftime lead to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The Blue Devils overcame a six-point hole in the final ten minutes against the Demon Deacons to remain undefeated in conference play.

While Duke’s 14-game win streak leads all programs, the Cougars have won 12 consecutive games. Two of Houston’s three losses came in overtime back in November, and head coach Kelvin Sampson’s teams always lead the nation in defensive ratings. The Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers are the only two teams above Duke in ESPN’s defensive power index, and those three are the only power-conference programs allowing fewer than 60 points per game.

The Auburn Tigers, Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones followed Duke to complete ESPN’s top five.

Duke basketball drops two spots in KenPom rankings after second straight close call

The Duke Blue Devils flirted with an upset loss for the second straight game on Monday, and the KenPom rankings knocked them for it.

The Duke Blue Devils won their 14th straight game on Monday night, a home victory over the NC State Wolfpack to partially avenge last year’s Elite Eight loss, but it admittedly wasn’t the team’s prettiest game.

The 9-10 Wolfpack built a 13-point midway through the opening half thanks to an 8/30 (26.7%) start from the floor by the Blue Devils. Freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] still put 28 points on the board in the victory, but the KenPom efficiency metrics no longer consider Duke the best team in the nation.

As of Tuesday morning, the Blue Devils sit No. 3 in the rankings behind the Auburn Tigers and Houston Cougars. The margins are still narrow with those three teams, separated by 0.66 points per 100 possessions, but Duke now trails the other two.

All three have won at least 11 straight games with no losses between them since December 4, and the gap between the Blue Devils and the fourth-ranked Florida Gators is larger than the gap between Florida and the Alabama Crimson Tide in ninth.

With back-to-back games below 75 points, Duke slipped back to seventh in the offensive efficiency metrics with 122.9 points per 100 possessions. The Blue Devils still sit third on the defensive end, allowing 87.6 points, and they’re still the only team within the top nine in both categories.

When’s the last time Duke basketball won its first 10 ACC games in a single season?

The Duke basketball team clinched a 10-0 start in conference play on Monday night. When’s the last time the Blue Devils pulled that off?

The Duke men’s basketball team won its 14th straight game on Monday night, a hard-fought 74-64 victory over the NC State Wolfpack. More importantly, however, the Blue Devils kept their perfect conference record with a 10-0 start in ACC play, something the program hasn’t done in nearly two decades.

Duke’s most recent 10-0 record against conference opponents came in 2007-08, head coach Jon Scheyer’s sophomore season. Believe it or not, that was actually the third time the Blue Devils won their first 10 ACC games in five seasons, matching that number in 2003-04 and 2005-06.

Legendary head coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] won the regular-season conference title in each of those first two campaigns, but the North Carolina Tar Heels surged past them for the 2007-08 ACC crown with a 14-2 conference record.

On an unfortunately pessimistic note, none of Duke’s last five 10-0 conference starts resulted in a national championship. But none of those teams had freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], either, so there’s a first time for everything.

Sion James says Duke has ‘got to learn how to win’ close games after two near-upsets

After a run of Duke basketball blowouts, the Blue Devils staved off two upsets in three days. Sion James said the experience is crucial.

The Cameron Crazies probably enjoyed the run of six consecutive blowouts in December and January more than the past three days, but veteran guard [autotag]Sion James[/autotag] said the two close calls will be beneficial for the Duke basketball team down the line.

The Blue Devils beat NC State on Monday night, a 74-64 victory after they fell behind 35-22 in the opening half. The nailbiter came two days after a back-and-forth road win over Wake Forest saw Duke give away a 13-point halftime lead before pulling back to win.

While nine of Duke’s 14 consecutive victories have come by more than 20 points (and two others have come by double-digits), James said after Monday’s victory that the ability to win tough games is crucial.

“We’ve got to learn how to win them,” he said. “I wish we could win every game by 25-plus. That’s my goal going into every single game. But games like this, we learn a lot and we grow up.”

On a fairly young Duke team with three freshman starters, James knows what he’s talking about. He spent four years with the Tulane Green Wave before transferring to Durham, and he’s now played 134 collegiate games with 119 starts.

For his part in the learning process, James scored a season-high 13 points with four rebounds and three assists.

The best Duke basketball photos from Monday’s win over NC State

Check out the best photos from Monday’s Duke basketball victory over the NC State Wolfpack.

The Duke Blue Devils nearly let their lengthy win streak crumble away on Monday night, falling behind the NC State Wolfpack by 13 points in a first half that surely brought up bad memories from last year’s postseason.

Instead, freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scored 23 points in the second half to spark a 19-0 run around the intermission. He, fellow freshman Kon Knueppel, and veteran guard Sion James combined for 60 points, and the Blue Devils outscored their in-state rivals by 23 points over the final 24 minutes for a 14th straight victory.

Despite two second-half sweats in three days after Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, Duke clinched its first 10-0 start in conference play since the 2007-08 season.

Check out the best photos from Saturday’s rivalry victory below.

Jon Scheyer offers an explanation for Khaman Maluach getting sick on the court

Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer said Khaman Maluach ‘chugged a lot of Gatorade’ before getting sick on the court on Monday night.

Duke basketball fans were concerned for freshman center [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] on Monday night after the 7-footer threw up on the court in the second half against NC State, leaving the game after getting attention from the trainers.

According to head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] after the game, the answer was thankfully straightforward.

“He was cramping,” Scheyer said. “Chugged a lot of Gatorade quickly and that’s what happened.”

Scheyer, always in a coaching mindset, even said he viewed the incident as a testament to Maluach’s character.

“He was doing whatever he could to get back in the game,” Scheyer said.

The first-year star reportedly felt better after the game, but Scheyer still said he felt worried about Maluach and wanted to give him some rest before Saturday’s home game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. After a full week off before Saturday’s road trip to Wake Forest, the Blue Devils played twice in three days for the second time this season and first in conference play.

Maluach finished with four points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in the 74-64 victory over the Wolfpack.