In a basketball match, Duke Blue Devils controlled the action from start to finish on Saturday night, defeating Alabama and securing a spot in the Final Four.
Kon Knueppel led with 20 points, while Cooper Flagg contributed 16 points and nine rebounds as top-seeded Duke stifled second-seeded Alabama’s high-powered offense, cruising to an 85-65 victory in the NCAA Tournament East Regional final at the Prudential Center.
This marks Duke’s 18th Final Four appearance in program history but the first under third-year head coach Jon Scheyer. With a 35-3 record, Duke will now face the Midwest Regional champion—either top-seeded Houston or No. 2 Tennessee—on Saturday in the national semifinals at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
After falling short in the Elite Eight last season, the Blue Devils left little doubt this time, securing their second Final Four appearance in four seasons.
Duke shot an impressive 53.6% from the field, with Tyrese Proctor scoring 17 points and Khaman Maluach adding 14, joining Knueppel and Flagg in double figures. The victory extended Duke’s winning streak to 15 games.
“Tyrese and I, after experiencing last year’s loss at this stage, made every decision and every effort to ensure we got back here,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer. “Now, this team has the chance to advance to the promised land—the Final Four in San Antonio.”
Alabama, which had set an NCAA Tournament record with 25 three-pointers in its 113-88 win over BYU on Thursday, struggled against Duke’s defense, hitting just 23 of 65 shots (35.4%) overall and 8 of 32 from beyond the arc (25%).
Mark Sears, who had drained 10 three-pointers and scored 34 points against BYU, managed only six points against Duke, shooting just 2 of 12.
“Our focus was making sure he always saw bodies,” said Duke’s Sion James. “We wanted him to know he wasn’t alone against our defense, and I think we did well in limiting his chances at the foul line, where he usually scores a lot.”
Duke led 46-37 at halftime and never let its advantage drop below six points in the second half. However, the game had its tense moments.
The Blue Devils struggled offensively for the first 10 minutes after halftime, making just 7 of 17 shots and missing all three of their three-point attempts.
Alabama closed the gap to 65-58 after two free throws from Labaron Philbon with 8:03 remaining. Duke responded with a decisive 13-0 run.
