TUCSON, Ariz. — What was supposed to be the best matchup of the weekend in college basketball instead turned into a grinder of a game and a really good sign for Duke’s Final Four chances.
After losing to Kentucky in dispiriting fashion on Nov. 12 — those two Cooper Flagg turnovers effectively rendering the outcome — the 12th-ranked Blue Devils learned, recovered and rallied against Arizona on a level few could have expected.
Jon Scheyer’s team dictated the terms at McKale Center late Friday night, winning 69-55 and handing No. 17 Arizona a rare home loss — made even more rare by how anemic U of A’s offense was. The Wildcats’ 55 points ties a program-low under Tommy Lloyd, matching the No. 15-over-No. 2 seed upset vs. Princeton in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Scheyer is now 24-16 in road and neutral games since getting the Duke job. That’s winning at a 60% clip when not playing at home, a percentage just about any coach in the country would take. Duke’s win snapped a four-game losing skid against ranked teams and also ended a three-game slide against Arizona. This game was the back half of a home-and-home, and it was driven by revenge. Arizona won at Cameron Indoor Stadium last year, now Duke gets a huge road victory and returns the favor.
Here are my takeaways from Tucson:
Duke’s D has a chance to be the best in college hoops
Arizona was held to .81 points per possession in its house? There’s almost no chance the Wildcats play this badly on offense the rest of the season, especially at home. Lloyd’s been running one of the best and most reliable offensive schemes in the sport since he got this job a few years back.
There was no evidence of that Friday. Arizona was 6 for 23 from 3, pinned on more possessions than not by a swarm of Blue Devils.
“It helps when you have individual defenders to begin with,” Scheyer said. “Our team is a roster of guys that can guard the ball, good positional size.”
Sure, but 55 points?
Duke’s defense exposed Arizona, but more than that, it validated the Blue Devils’ prowess to be among the best defensive units in the sport. Cooper Flagg is the always-looming presence as a shot swatter. Maliq Brown is a one-on-one menace on the wing who can guard 1 through 5 and do so in the post, on the perimeter — it doesn’t matter. Khaman Maluach’s rim protection is always a looming warning. Kon Knueppel’s physicality and discipline to face-guard any guard or wing is nearly as good as Tyrese Proctor’s defense, which Scheyer said on Friday is as good as anyone in the sport on the perimeter.
A stellar showing, emphasized all the more by Duke’s work on the boards. The Blue Devils’ 35.1% offensive-rebound rate more than doubled Arizona’s (16.7%), which was the No. 1 goal for Scheyer’s group heading in: stopping Arizona on the glass. The Wildcats have rated near the top in offensive rebounding (and overall rebounding) under Lloyd. On Friday, they looked mid-major.
To that end: Duke didn’t allow Arizona to hit 50 until 3:40 was left.
“To get tested this early in the season on the road, I find incredible value in it,” Scheyer said.
Even more when you win in hostile territory.
Flagg grinds out another MVP performance
It wasn’t good for the 17-year-old early on. He started the game 2-of-11 and had a pair of turnovers. Some shots were forced. It was only because of his misses that Arizona had any kind of hope at the half, when it was a 34-27 game that could have been 40-25. Then Flagg found his footing and chipped away at any of Arizona’s hope, scoring 16 of his game-high 24 points after the break. He also had six boards, four turnovers, four fouls and a pair of blocks.
I asked Flagg if he felt a little shaken to start, given he’d never played a game this big, this loud, this meaningful to this point in his life. Arizona couldn’t give me an exact number, but it’s believed more than 40 NBA scouts/general managers were in the building Friday night. Flagg composed himself and was yet again the most valuable player on the floor by the end of 40 minutes.
“I think in the first half I was a little bit soft,” Flagg said. “It’s a high-level college basketball game, like coach said, really physical. I kind of found my footing and played off two feet a little better.”
There was a sequence midway through the second half that Flagg was a part of that stunted Arizona’s hope at a comeback. Caleb Love hit a second-chance 3 after an offensive rebound with 10:51 left to make it 46-38. The fans finally had a reason to really make the McKale Center a party. It wouldn’t last.
Flagg made an in-air adjustment on the next play to deftly drop a layup in and get it back to 10.
On the next possession, Arizona freshman Carter Bryant hit a 3-pointer to make it 48-41, keeping hope alive
A few seconds later, Flagg sank a floater over the 7-2 Motiejas Krivas to make it 50-41.
It was probably a B-level game for Flagg, but he unquestionably grew in this one and kept his reputation as the best freshman in the sport through the first three weeks of the season.
Arizona can’t ask Caleb Love to always be The Guy
The fifth-year senior has had some big moments against Duke, but his final game was his worst. Just eight points on 13 shots, including 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Arizona wanted to get Love a couple of easy looks and morale-boosting buckets in the first few possessions, but Duke shut that down. The opportunities weren’t there.
It was one of the big reasons Arizona never really had a shot on Friday night. The Wildcats permanently lost the groove after starting out with a 7-2 lead. Love also had a team-high three turnovers.
“Caleb has a well-documented story and he’s my guy and he’s not playing great right now, I gotta be honest,” Lloyd said. “I got to hang with him.”
Love’s shooting a woeful 21.4% from 3-point land and averaging fewer than 10 points. He was a preseason All-American. He’ll have more good games to come, but at this point it’s fair to say Arizona’s got to figure out a new mode of attack. Love is not reliable enough to build a Final Four-level offense around. Any lingering doubt about that was killed off Friday night.
“I gotta figure out why pieces aren’t fitting together the way I would like or what we’re used to,” Lloyd said.
Love didn’t speak to the media afterward. I think the answer lies in splitting up scoring duties between Love, Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis (the latter two combining for 30 on Friday). Expect new elements in Arizona’s offense by the end of next week.
Arizona’s high-major drought continues
Here’s a mini wow: Arizona has not won a game vs. a high-major team with an above-.500 record since it beat Oregon on March 2. It’s had seven games vs. high-majors in that span and either lost to the good ones or beat the bad ones. Time for panic? Not exactly, but it’s fair to say Arizona was quite overrated heading into the season.
After losing to Wisconsin a week ago — and allowing 103 points, which is almost as stunning as only scoring 55 vs. Duke — this team has no business being ranked. If you’re looking for a silver lining, taking a loss like this can serve as a wakeup call to Arizona’s roster well in advance of the Big 12 slate.
Before that: Battle 4 Atlantis. The Wildcats will fly nearly 3,000 miles to the Bahamas in a few days and attempt to be ready to play in a field that includes No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 16 Indiana. We can’t call Arizona the favorite, no way. Not after this, when the Wildcats didn’t match in physicality, execution or body language. A Duke team stuffed with freshmen came in and didn’t flinch.
“Don’t be stubborn,” Lloyd said of Friday night’s learning experience. “If there’s adjustments to be made, let’s figure it out.”
This marks the first time Lloyd’s team has lost back-to-back games since he became coach in 2021.
“The hardest things get the better, because I think I’m built for it,” he said, adding: “I’m a realistic optimist.”
Lloyd has the right temperament at a time like this. I don’t expect Arizona to go sideways. Fixes are needed, and they’ll likely come. But after three strong seasons under Lloyd, it’s fair to question for the first time if he’s got a team incapable of playing at the upper echelon of the sport.
