NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: #1 Duke Blue Devils (33-3, 19-1 ACC) vs. #8 Arizona Wildcats (24-12, 14-6 Big 12)

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

#1 Duke Blue Devils (33-3, 19-1 ACC) vs. #8 Arizona Wildcats (24-12, 14-6 Big 12)

Thursday, March 27 • 9:39 p.m. ET

Prudential Center (16,755) • Newark, NJ

TV: CBS

Radio: Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD / Westwood One

The Blue Devils will face a familiar foe in their Sweet 16 matchup against the 8th seeded Arizona Wildcats. Thursday will be the 11th straight meeting between Duke and Arizona, with both teams ranked in the top-25. Duke is 1-1 against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Duke’s 69-55 road win over Arizona on Nov. 22, 2024, the Wildcats won three straight in the series, dating back to a 93-77 victory in the 2011 NCAA Tournament regional semifinal in Anaheim, California. Duke defeated Arizona, 82-72, in the 2001 national championship game in Minneapolis.

TV/Video Stream CBS
Play-by-Play Brian Anderson
Analyst Jim Jackson
Reporter Allie LaForce
Producer Tom Heitz
Director Matt Lipp

Radio Blue Devil Sports Network
Play-by-Play David Shumate
Analyst John Roth
Engineer John Rose
In Durham 96.5 FM & 620 AM
Varsity Network App

Overall Duke trails, 5-6
In Durham, NC Tied, 1-1
at Cameron Indoor Stadium Tied, 1-1
In Tucson, AZ Duke trails, 1-2
at McKale Memorial Center Duke trails, 1-2
Neutral Sites Tied, 3-3
Last Meeting Duke 69, @Arizona 55 (Nov. 22, 2024)
Last 10 Games in Series Duke trails, 4-6

 

Tommy Lloyd is in his fourth season as head coach after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga for 22 seasons. Lloyd has his team at 24-12 overall and finished at 14-6 in the Big 12, good for 3rd.  The Wildcats rank 11th in the nation in rebounds per game (40.1) and 12th in rebounding margin (+7.5). Arizona tops the Big 12 and is 17th in the country in scoring offense with 82.2 points per contest.

Caleb Love, a First Team All-Big 12 honoree, leads Arizona in scoring (16.8 ppg) and is second in assists (3.5 apg). Love played 101 games in three seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Arizona for the 2023-24 campaign. The Wildcats boast 2 other double figure scorers in Jaden Bradley at 12 points per game, Bradley leads the team in assists per game at 3.7. KJ Lewis ranks 3rd on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game.

Duke owns the second-highest net rating (39.00) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season). Only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils have achieved a higher net rating (43.01). The Blue Devils have won 29 of their last 30 games since late November, including the nation’s second-longest current win streak at 13 consecutive victories. Duke leads the nation in scoring margin (+21.5) and ranks third in the country in assist to-turnover ratio (+1.82), fourth in field goal percentage defense (.383), fifth in effective field goal percentage (.579), sixth in scoring defense (61.7), eighth in field goal percentage (.492), eighth in turnovers per game (9.3), 11th in rebound margin (+7.7), 12th in scoring offense (83.2), 16th in three-point percentage (.381), 18th in three-pointers per game (10.3), 19th in assists per game (16.9), 24th in three-point percentage defense (.305) and 30th in rebounds per game (38.5) – all top marks in the ACC. Duke leads the ACC in scoring offense (83.2) and scoring defense (61.7), and could become the first team in ACC history to lead the conference in both categories. The Blue Devils are the only team in the country ranked among the top-four in both offensive (1st) and defensive (4th) adjusted efficiency, according to KenPom. Duke is the only Division I team to score 80 points or more per game (83.2) and hold its opponents to fewer than 62 points per game (61.7).

Cooper Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, ranks among the ACC’s top-10 in four of five major statistical categories – scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th) and blocked shots (8th), and is 11th in steals. Flagg leads a trio of double figure scorers for Duke, with Kon Knueppel within 4 points of Flagg at 14.1 points per game and just under 4 rebounds. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor rounds out the double figure scorers at 12.5 per game, Proctor made a career-high seven three-pointers versus Baylor and is shooting 19-of-30 (.633) from distance in the last three games.

PG Sion James 6’6, 220lbs – Grad Transfer
SG Tyrese Proctor 6’6, 183lbs – Junior
SG Kon Knueppel 6’7, 217lbs – Freshman
SF Cooper Flagg 6’9,  205 lbs – Freshman
C Khaman Maluach 7’2, 250lbs – Freshman

G Jaden Bradley 6’3, 200lbs – Junior
G Caleb Love 6’4, 205lbs – 5th Year
G Anthony Dell’Orso 6’6, 190lbs – Junior
F Trey Townsend 6’6, 235lbs – 5th Year
F Tobe Awaka 6’8, 250lbs – Junior

Besides wins and losses not a lot separate these 2 teams statistically. Duke shoots better from 3 but as we know in the NCAA Tournament, not much of that matters honestly. The games usually come down to who can make the most plays and for the Blue Devils the formula has been the same for the majority of the year. Do not give the opponents easy looks at the basket via turnovers or bad shots, be efficient on the offensive end and most importantly defend. We obviously know Caleb Love can be a weapon for whatever team he plays for, Duke’s job is to keep that weapon firing blanks ie bad shots. The bigger worry for me aside from Caleb Love going nuclear is Jaden Bradley, who for me is their best player, while he’s not a great 3 point shooter he does shoot over 50% from within the arc and is a great set up man for Tommy Lloyd’s team. Conventional wisdom says to pack the paint but I would play straight up defense because as we know, anyone can get hot especially at this time of the year, extra games, extra reps the basket just looks bigger for some guys at this time of the year. I don’t believe Arizona has the horses to stop what Duke does offensively so if Duke is efficient they should win, if they turn the ball over and give up fast break points against a defense that isn’t set – then we will have issues.

JON SCHEYER: For me and for our program, we’re honored to be here. Excited to be here. We know we play a really good Arizona team. A lot of respect for Tommy and his program. I think he’s one of the best coaches. For our group, we’re just ready to go. I’ll take any questions.

Q. This game has the potential — your front lines, both teams, could look very different. I’m assuming Maliq is out?

JON SCHEYER: It’s day-to-day with Maliq, and there’s a chance he could be available tomorrow night.

Q. Having said that, their front line is going to look a lot different. Having played them, that game back on the 22nd of November, does it have any relevance at this point?

JON SCHEYER: I’m not sure how much it means, to be honest. I think watching that game back, I know — I’m sure Tommy would say the same. We’re very different. So are they. Different personnel. The game was slow. I think both teams are playing a lot faster. But naturally there’s still some things you can take away, but overall I think we’re two very different teams playing a lot more confidently. The cohesiveness of both groups is different. But I think the thing that’s similar, anytime Duke and Arizona play, you have two proud programs, two teams that both expect to win, and it’s going to be a physical, really tough game.

Q. Caleb has obviously had some big games against Duke in his career. You guys kind of held him down in the earlier game. What challenges does he present defensively, and could he be a big factor in this game?

JON SCHEYER: Well, sure. He’s their leading scorer and leads them in assists. He’s obviously a key player for them. The thing that he does, he can shoot shots at any time, and he can hit shots at any time. I think he’s an improved passer, somebody that’s not afraid. He’s a really good player, so that challenge is there for our guys. But they have challenges way beyond him. They put five guys on the floor that can all score and hurt you. But he’s had a really good year, and it’s going to be a tough matchup.

Q. Jon, big picture kind of coaching leadership question: Your program has always really been built on culture. What are the challenges of sustaining culture year to year with the NIL, the portal, roster turnover, and just the changes we’ve seen in the game?

JON SCHEYER: Well, I’m sure what I’m about to say is obvious, but our program was built on players teaching players, in addition to obviously what the coaching staff has done. But it’s something you would always pass down. That’s changed the last 10 years or so with just one-and-done. It’s not like the transfer portal just started. But I think the fact that since transfer portal is entered where you can leave at any time without any penalty, you have to deal with a new group almost every year. And I think that’s the biggest challenge where you feel like you can skip steps when you really can’t. You have to start from ground zero every summer. And for us we went back to the basics this summer of just how to build this team from the ground up, build the connectivity, teach the standards, hold them accountable to what the standards are. And that’s something I know we’re going to have to do each year going forward.

Q. Is there anything about the team’s approach mentally that’s surprised you this postseason that you’d say is different from how they have been the rest of the year, or has it been pretty consistent?

JON SCHEYER: I wouldn’t say it’s different. I think it’s different circumstances. So I’m impressed with how they’ve been able to block out any noise and attention or expectations and just focus on what’s right in front of them. I’m proud of that. Obviously that has to continue tomorrow night. But I think that gets harder to do as the season goes along. It’s a shame everywhere you read or see, it’s all about the transfer portal right now and other things going on, where we’re the lucky ones to be preparing for a game. Our guys have embraced that and not worried about what’s next, what’s behind, just what’s right in front of us. And to me that’s been the most impressive thing.

Q. Jon, the defensive level you’ve achieved and maintained this season, obviously it’s a credit to the entire roster. But with the way college basketball is played now with so much pace, tall offensive players, how important is Cooper’s defensive versatility specifically to the scheme you guys have been able to put in and the level you just kept up all year?

JON SCHEYER: Yeah, look, Cooper obviously is a huge part of what we do with every aspect. Defense in particular, his length, and then his instincts just — he closes that window quick when somebody does have an opportunity. I think it’s led us to really protect our rim well, but also create some turnovers and steals to lead to easy opportunities, which is important for our team. So for our team in general, look, we have a bunch of guys that are versatile, nobody more than him. He’s unique with what he does in that area. The thing he’s done great this year, though, is guard the ball. So he’s a guy that can guard 1 through 5, but his defensive instincts off the ball have been a huge part of what we’ve done on the defensive end.

Q. On the topic of Caleb Love, I think tomorrow is going to be the 13th NCAA Tournament game he plays in his career. Long career for him. How does that make the challenge of dealing with him in a knockout format more unique, especially when you have a younger team?

JON SCHEYER: I just think for us, there’s no magic to it. At the end of the day, it’s still basketball. It’s still the same points we’re emphasizing, what was it, November 22nd you said, because you want to win the game then. There’s still the same points. Just it’s the understanding if you lose, you go home, so that makes it — it can make you feel differently. At the end of the day, it’s still about the same values and still the same emphasis from us as a staff and for our guys as players. I’m not sure how much weight I would put into that, although that is good experience, of course.

Q. Jon, just curious, what do you think has enabled Pat, Isaiah, and Caleb, despite somewhat fluctuating roles throughout the season, to stay steady and always be able especially as they’ve become more important in the postseason?

JON SCHEYER: I think it’s been one of the biggest blessings as a coach this year to have guys that are ready. Of course, I think just honest conversations from myself, the coaching staff is part of that. But I think a huge part of that is the support staff they have and not getting too high or too low. And the reality is especially as young players, there are going to be some moments that you don’t play as well, you don’t play as much. And understanding with this team that we have this year, certain matchups, too, it depends. Just we’ve tried to keep them upbeat and understanding that’s going to happen to somebody. So just all of a sudden the next game that can be totally different. The three guys you mentioned, Isaiah, Caleb and Pat, all have amazing spirit. They have, like, a great spirit about them. Really good confidence in themselves, but also the humility to look and say, okay, here’s what I have to do better, here’s where I can take a jump. Obviously they’ve all given us a big lift in different moments.

Q. I want to catch up with you guys about since Jai left for Miami, how has the staff filled his role? Who’s doing what — is Justin Robinson doing more, is Schrage doing more, Will Avery? How has that worked out for you five games into it?

JON SCHEYER: Naturally everybody has stepped up. All three of those guys have stepped up and helped. The fact you’re playing in the NCAA Tournament, you have two games a week, so Emanuel and Chris for me have been just really key guys with handling all the scouting with help from the guys you mentioned. Our video team has done an incredible job, too. But it’s been as seamless as could be when you miss somebody like Jai. Jai is obviously great with what he’s done for us and what he’s going to do going forward, but it’s been very seamless with Chris and Emanuel stepping up and all those other guys being ready to go.

Q. I have a philosophical question for you. Over the years, you’ve referred to defenses as baseball pitches, like Khaman was the fast ball, Maliq was the splinker. Have you always done that? Does that come from a youth coach that did it with you playing?

JON SCHEYER: No, I don’t know where it — where I heard that one, came up with it. I have no idea. I just know how different they were as players. That’s the best example I can give. I’m sure I could have given better examples. I don’t know what pitch Pat is because Pat is his own person, too. He’s a little bit of each guy and his own guy. I guess fast ball, splinker, sinker. We’ve got to figure that out. But no, that’s not something I try to do in my spare time is come up with baseball pitches that our guys play like.

Q. Back to Caleb Love, you obviously matched up with him a bunch since the start of his career. You’ve mentioned he’s become a better passer. From seeing him at the start to now, what other improvements have you seen from him?

JON SCHEYER: Well, I think just his game has grown, I think just with the job Tommy has done, Arizona, the way they play up tempo. He’s the same player in terms of how he scores and all that. He’s just better at everything. I think that’s a credit to his growth and the job that him and his teammates, coaching staff, everybody that’s helped him. He’s scoring off the bounce, scoring off catch and shoot, to the rim. He’s continued to develop all around as a player. But I mentioned the passing. I think that’s been noticeable, and who he is all around, I would say.

Q. Coach, do you get annoyed at all the noise around Cooper because he made the comments that he might want to come back to Duke, and everyone keeps on saying, he’s crazy. I actually saw an article a couple days ago that put a dollar figure on it. I know I’m kind of getting my opinion in here, but I think they’re overlooking the whole college experience. What are your thoughts on that?

JON SCHEYER: Well, a couple things. One, I think you would be amazed with how much I really don’t read or block out, so that’s the first thing. So that’s news to me that people are still talking about that. I didn’t know that. I’ll say this, and this is aside from Cooper, because Cooper is about to move on with something incredibly special with the next step he’s going to go after this. But happiness doesn’t necessarily equate to just becoming a pro or just making money, although they’re making money either way now. But I think it’s important for guys to — each guy is their own individual, so I think depending on the situation, guys should make the decisions for themselves. But Cooper’s thing is different. Cooper’s thing is that’s said, and that’s going to happen, as it should. But I don’t even know the article you’re referencing. I don’t know what people are saying. I’m focused on Arizona and that’s it.

Q. Is it true that Arizona was one of your final choices when you were being recruited for college? And if that’s so, what do you remember about the Lute Olson experience of that recruiting process and why ultimately Arizona was not the place you chose to go to?

JON SCHEYER: Well, you’re taking me back now. That feels like a long time ago. My final three were Duke, Illinois, and Arizona. I just loved Coach Olson. He was awesome to me to be around. I had a great visit there, although the visit was on the heels of Arizona actually playing Illinois, and in an Elite 8 game, I think it was. But just loved Coach Olson, loved the way they played. And ultimately wasn’t about what wasn’t right at Arizona, it was about what was right at Duke. That’s where I felt I belonged and where my heart belonged. But yeah, really respected those guys and loved the time there.

Q. Guys, you start three freshmen. Two are here. You really haven’t had a lot of close games of late. I heard Grant Hill talking about — this is probably all before you were born, but he was talking about when they faced UNLV when they went through a similar season as you guys, where they kind of rolled, and then when they met Duke, all of a sudden they were in a tight game. Have the coaches talked about that with you guys, and how do you prepare for that, to face adversity when things have been pretty much just kind of cruising along?

COOPER FLAGG: Yeah, I think what I would say is we had some early close games. We’ve had some moments that we’ve been in throughout this year that I think we’ve kind of taken and learned from. And some were losses, I think all three of them. We had some good late game situations that we definitely watched a lot of film on and learned from. I think just by executing and taking what we learned from those games.

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, we practice a bunch of game situations, whether it’s in the half, start of second half, end of the game. That’s something we do a bunch in practice, so when close games come, we’ll be ready.

TYRESE PROCTOR: Yeah, we faced adversity in the ACC Tournament, UNC, Louisville, Georgia Tech, all three games we were down or we had a lead, and they came back. But like Kon, said, like Coop said, we do end-of-game situations every day in film, and there’s a lot of college basketball games going on in America. So there’s a lot of end-of-game situations that we can learn from and execute when it’s our time.

Q. Cooper, a lot is made all season of your defensive versatility, your impact on that side of the floor. For you, what’s the level of fun that comes from that? For a lot of college players it feels like something that can be a bit of a chore, but it seems like you really embrace it. What’s your favorite aspect of getting to change the game on that side?

COOPER FLAGG: I think just being able to get energy from players blocking shots, getting steals, and those type of plays lead to kind of easier offense. So I think that’s kind of where it starts from. I think even for us as a team in general, we just take pride and enjoy helping each other out, having each other’s backs. It’s just about being connected and playing together.

Q. Coop, I know you’ve had a lot of Maine supporters come to your games. We’re not that close to Maine, but we’re a little closer than Duke. Do you expect a lot of people from Maine to be here, and do you have other people coming to the game that you think will support you, and what does that mean to you?

COOPER FLAGG: Yeah, I mean, I already know a ton of people from Maine that are planning on driving up. It will definitely be a pretty big Maine population at the game, so I’m definitely excited to see a lot of familiar faces.

Q. Cooper, last year in the tournament, Carolina beat Michigan State by 16, Bacot had 18 and 8, but yet he got 100 angry DMs on Twitter because he didn’t hit the over on his rebounding total. Have you dealt with anything like that this season, and how do you block that type of stuff out?

COOPER FLAGG: I mean, no, not really. I mean, I think — kind of like you said, the DMs and stuff like that, all throughout the season we kind of see that a little bit. Talking for myself and some of my teammates, I know all of us have gotten DMs and stuff like that. But it’s not that big of a deal. We kind of just see it and laugh at it.

Q. Kon, obviously Duke has a long history of great three-point shooters on their team. For you, how did you sort of develop that game as a kid or that part of your game as a kid leading up to this point, and what is it about the way you guys play offense that gets you so many open looks that you can shoot such a high percentage?

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, we have a bunch of good shooters on the team, especially this guy and Isaiah and Cooper. It’s hard to guard a bunch of shooters on the floor, so it gives us a bunch of looks. But growing up, my dad was a pretty good shooter, so just learning from him, getting reps up. I wasn’t great in middle school, but once I got to high school, just the amount of reps that you take really, really helps you prepare.

Q. Cooper, three years ago this month, to go to the Maine point, you won your state championship for Nokomis against my hometown high school. Three years ago you’re a 15-year-old freshman, now you’re an 18-year-old freshman at Duke. At 15 years old, could you have seen yourself on the biggest stage? What motivated you to that point from the state title to now Sweet 16?

COOPER FLAGG: Yeah, I think it goes back to something — like you said, this is just something I dreamed about ever since I was a little kid. These are the moments that I imagined myself being in when I was in the driveway, things like that. Just a surreal feeling to be here in these moments and have these opportunities. I just feel really blessed.

Q. Cooper, I was talking with Matt Cohen yesterday, and he told a story about you guys facing Paul VI last year and that Pat Ngongba was trying to say hello to you in the hotel lobby, and he said I didn’t get much of a hello back. He and Darren were kind of given the “next year, next year, we’ll be friends. How hard was that for you to stay locked in in that moment and say, that’ll wait for next year when we’re buddies?

COOPER FLAGG: Yeah, I think for me, it’s all competition. Like it’s all friendly competition at the end of the day. But we can be friends outside of the court or whatever it is, but if I know I’m matched up against somebody or I have to play them the next day, I have to be locked in and have no friends on the court. So that’s kind of where that comes from.

Q. Cooper, how do you feel about the comparisons with Larry Bird, and what do you remember watching clips of Bird when you were a kid?

COOPER FLAGG: Yeah, obviously I grew up watching old Larry Bird videos and stuff like that, the ’85, ’86 Celtics team and their championship that year. Obviously it’s really cool to hear people say that. He’s a legend, so it gives me a lot of confidence, and it’s just a big compliment. The comparisons? I don’t really have too much to say on how I compare to him or not. I don’t really compare myself to anybody. I just try and be my own player.

Q. Kon and Tyrese, about the guy next to you, a lot of people are talking about him and his ceiling, his play. What’s Cooper like outside of basketball like as a teammate, as one of your friends on the team, that kind of thing? Feel free to embarrass him as much as you want as he stares at you two.

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, I mean, obviously he’s my roommate, so he’s very kind, but he kind of keeps to himself. But he likes to joke around. He’s a good guy. He’s good to us even when he’s talking crap. Yeah, he’s a great guy to be around off the court.

TYRESE PROCTOR: I mean, he’s just a kid. (Laughter). I mean, he’s always joking around and stuff. No, he’s cool. He’s cool.

Q. Cooper, you’ve been rocking the Nikes throughout the tournament, but you are with New Balance. Where are the New Bs as opposed to the Nikes during the tournament?

COOPER FLAGG: Obviously I love New Balance and I would love to wear their shoe, but we’re in a situation where Duke is with Nike, obviously. So just respecting the rules that are in place and kind of what we have to follow.

Q. Tyrese, how has Sion starting at point guard — you’ve been red hot lately, and basically you do an off guard for the most part. How has that helped you, and do you think you’ve found a home? Do you think you’ve really found your niche with this team?

TYRESE PROCTOR: I mean, Sion is such an unselfish player. I think as a group, we’re very unselfish and just understanding how we play together and understanding the spots that we can excel at on the court. So I feel like Caleb, Sion, Kon, Coop, really everyone, just being able to put me individually in a position to succeed, getting into my spots. When I have the ball, I’m trying to do the same thing for them. I think just having the understanding as a group is why we’re such a good team.

Q. Tyrese, you have obviously played the most games up there against Caleb Love. What have you enjoyed about the battles that you’ve had with him out on the court, whether he was in North Carolina or now Arizona?

TYRESE PROCTOR: I think just the intensity. It’s always a high level matchup. It’s always a great game, and that’s really it.

Q. For Kon and Cooper, you guys have not really seen a lot of Henri Veesaar in that matchup. What have you seen with him on tape about what makes him good both offensively and defensively?

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, Veesaar is one of those guys that just plays really, really hard, mucks up a game. Obviously, he’s really dangerous on the offensive rebounds, but knows how to play on both ends.

COOPER FLAGG: Yeah, I would say after what Kon said, just a good player, can play really hard and just be a weapon for them.

Q. Cooper, I imagine it’s hard to zoom out at this point when the goal is still in front of you, but when you look over the course of the season, what are you most pleased with as far as where you’ve progressed in your game or improved?

COOPER FLAGG: I’m not really sure. I haven’t really, I guess, taken much time to look back and look at the year we’ve had. Something I’m most proud of is our team as a whole coming together and being so connected, going into so many battles together and just coming out with a lot of wins.