No Flagg, No Problem: Duke Wins ACC Championship

No Cooper Flagg, no problem. With Duke’s star out of the tournament with an injury, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and company came through in the biggest moments and carried the Blue Devils to a 73-62 win over Louisville Saturday night.

Duke won the ACC Championship without their superstar, but this is only the beginning. They have faced adversity with injury and youth, but none of that stopped them. They took one loss, a road loss against top-15 Clemson, since November and looked to ease past any competition they faced. When the lights shined brightest, Duke showed up and dominated. After a lot of drama, a few upsets, and controversial finishes, the favorite won the ACC Tournament.

No Flagg, No Problem: Duke Wins ACC Championship

Supporting Cast Comes up Huge

Tyrese Proctor stayed another year, a shocking decision at the time. However, he came back for moments just like this one. He came up huge, hitting multiple threes early in the second half to turn a Duke deficit into a double-digit lead they would never relinquish. Kon Knueppel brought his usual scoring to the party. Khaman Maluach brought his stifling defense. Isaiah Evans brought his elite three-point ability. Every person who subbed into the game for the Blue Devils played their role perfectly. They played hard fought defense and gutted out rebounds. They attacked the rim when necessary and overcame shooting slumps. While they didn’t play perfectly, they helped Duke win the ACC Championship. I think John Scheyer has to be proud of the effort they put in.

Championship 2 of 3

While this win is significant, Duke has no intention of stopping here. Flagg will likely return for the NCAA Tournament, making Duke a heavy favorite to advance to the Final Four and potentially win the whole thing. Maliq Brown suffered another injury, so he may not start the tournament healthy. He will be a big loss, but the supporting cast has proven themselves with this ACC tournament run. It didn’t look pretty, but they stepped up. Cooper Flagg may be in foul trouble, or suffer a minor injury. While any injury is not ideal, Flagg’s injury allowed Knueppel and others to show that they can take the big shots and make winning plays.

The goal now is simple: win six more games. This group is arguably the most talented in college basketball. Anything less than a national championship will be a disappointment if they stay healthy. Another Flagg injury would certainly change perspective against opponents like Auburn. However, the Blue Devils will never use that as an excuse. They believe they are the best team in the country. Nothing will change their minds and nothing will settle their drive other than that championship. Duke won the ACC championship, both tournament and regular season. In their minds, they’re only 66.7% towards their goal.

The Last Word on Duke’s ACC Championship

Duke didn’t need this title. That’s why Cooper Flagg was ruled out after his injury, whether he was healthy or not. But this win gave confidence to everybody else. Flagg will return to the court for the NCAA Tournament with a supporting cast that believes in their leader and their own ability. Duke will be a dangerous team in March and April. Don’t be surprised to see this Blue Devil team cutting down the nets in April in San Antonio.