KEY POINTS
- Top-ranked Duke secured the ACC regular season championship with a 104-71 win against NC State.
- Cooper Flagg led the Blue Devils with 23 points and nine rebounds in the decisive home finale.
- The victory marks Duke’s first outright conference regular season title since the 2005-06 campaign.
The top-ranked Duke Blue Devils captured the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title on Monday night. They achieved this milestone by defeating NC State with a final score of 104-71 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. This victory ensures Duke holds the outright conference crown for the first time in two decades. The Blue Devils finished their regular season schedule with an impressive 26-4 overall record.
Freshman sensation Cooper Flagg served as the primary offensive engine for the home team throughout the contest. He recorded 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds while shooting efficiently from the field. Flagg also contributed four assists and three blocked shots to the winning effort. His performance helped Duke establish a double-digit lead early in the first half of play.
Duke utilized a balanced scoring attack to overwhelm the visiting Wolfpack defense. Five different players scored in double figures during the high-scoring performance on Monday. Tyrese Proctor added 18 points and distributed six assists to his teammates. Kon Knueppel also made a significant impact by contributing 17 points and three steals for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils demonstrated incredible accuracy from beyond the three-point arc during the game. They connected on 16 of their 31 attempts from long range as a team. This perimeter success prevented NC State from effectively utilizing a zone defense to slow the game down. Duke’s ball movement resulted in 24 total team assists on 34 made field goals.
NC State struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm against Duke’s aggressive defensive rotations. Ben Middlebrooks led the Wolfpack with 15 points in a losing effort at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Jayden Taylor also contributed 14 points, but the team shot only 38 percent from the field overall. The loss drops NC State to a 17-13 record for the current season.
The atmosphere in Durham reflected the historic nature of the achievement for the Duke basketball program. This championship represents the first outright ACC regular season title under head coach Jon Scheyer. The team previously shared the regular season crown during several other campaigns over the last twenty years. Duke now enters the postseason with significant momentum as the top seed in the conference tournament.
Duke’s defense forced NC State into 14 turnovers and capitalized on those mistakes frequently. The Blue Devils scored 22 points off turnovers to maintain their comfortable lead throughout the second half. They also dominated the rebounding battle by a margin of 43-28. This physical superiority allowed Duke to control the pace and flow of the entire matchup.
The focus now shifts toward the ACC tournament in Washington D.C. later this week. Duke will receive a double-bye as the primary seed in the bracket. They remain one of the favorites to secure a number one seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils appear to be playing their best basketball at the most critical time of the year.
