What Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball did by annihilating Illinois at Madison Square Garden

Posted by author February 23, 2025 Basketball

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Despite Duke basketball’s dominance, Cooper Flagg and the third-ranked Blue Devils accomplished a first on Saturday night by annihilating Illinois at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

After losing its first two neutral-site games to Kentucky and Kansas, Duke ended its neutral-site struggles with a 110-67 shellacking of the Fighting Illini. During each of its five national championship seasons, Duke won at least one game at a neutral site in the regular season.

Duke’s 43-point margin of victory is its largest neutral-site regular-season win since the program joined the ACC in 1953-54, according to ESPN.

In his MSG debut, Flagg had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in an NCAA Tournament résumé-boosting victory that will look good for the Blue Devils (24-3, 15-1 ACC) on Selection Sunday.

In Duke’s 60th game at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” the Blue Devils won at MSG for the eighth straight time and reached 100 points with 3:51 left in the game. It’s the second time in three games Duke has reached 100 points, the first time that’s happened since the 2017-18 season.

Seven players finished in double figures for Duke, led by Isaiah Evans (17 points) and Flagg. Kon Knueppel logged 15 points, Khaman Maluach had 13, Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster scored 12 each, and Sion James tallied 11. That’s the first time seven Duke players have finished in double figures since 2017.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.