More Thoughts On Duke’s Win Over Illinois

What a magical night

As it turns out, Duke’s win over Illinois set two records. It was the biggest win Duke ever had in Madison Square Garden. We understand that it was also the worst loss Illinois has ever suffered.

Our feeling about this is two-fold. On the one hand, we feel bad for Illinois. It’s pretty obvious that injuries and illness limited their performance.

But given how dominant Duke was, it may not have mattered.

Because Duke took it to another level Saturday night and what was most impressive was how connected the Blue Devils were on both ends of the court.

It started on the first play when Sion James and Khaman Maluach pounced on Kasparas Jakucionis, nearly forcing him into a backcourt violation.

That’s a heck of an intimidating start.

When they got a corner three off, Cooper Flagg had a hand up to challenge it and when the second shot missed, he got that rebound. And when he came down court and got the ball under the basket, three defenders were ready to shut him down. Illinois was keeping an eye on Maluach under the basket, Kon Knueppel on the sideline and Tyrese Proctor well out past the three point line.

The guy they didn’t think could hurt them was Sion James, but Flagg got the ball to him and he nailed a three. And if you watch that again, notice that Flagg doesn’t go after the rebound. He’s headed downcourt on defense already, certain that the shot was good.

On the next trip down, left alone again but this time in the corner, James got another open three which he missed.

Knueppel hit a two the next trip down and then Proctor forced a travel.

The next trip down, Flagg found James alone again and he hit his second three. And from there things just went downhill for Illinois, slowly at first and then shockingly fast. Duke just crushed the Illini, with some observers questioning whether the Blue Devils had “broken” them (don’t count on it).

Brad Underwood started his comments by saying “whoo....Duke’s good.”

He called it a “good old fashioned butt kicking,” which it was, and that Duke “whipped us in about every facet.”

He raved about Flagg, saying he was the best player in college and it wasn’t close. He said “the NCAA or the ACC should figure out an NIL deal to keep that kid in school...I hope he stays.” Check out his presser here. He has really nice things to say about Flagg and really seems to wish for the best for him. It was honestly kind of touching.

For his part, Scheyer took Flagg and James to his post-game press conference. He talked about his team sharing the ball and playing hard on defense and playing together: “I couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”

He also complimented his team’s “collective toughness” and how well they play together on both ends.

We saw various comments after the game suggesting that Duke has no weaknesses and of course that’s not true.

Flagg is the most versatile and dangerous player in the country. He’s the equivalent of a queen on a chess board and he covers up a lot of things.

However, as we saw, Illinois did get to the basket quite a bit. That probably wouldn’t have happened as much if Maliq Brown had been available. He’s a tremendous asset off the bench and is a unique defender. This was a lopsided game but in a tournament game, his absence would be obvious.

Second, as much as he’s improved, and that’s a lot, Isaiah Evans is still stick thin and people can take advantage of him on defense, particularly near the basket. He’s not always strong enough to drive, let alone to stop someone else from doing it.

Third, while you can see Maluach’s potential, which is dizzying, he’s still working towards it. His instincts will improve but when he’s one-on-one defensively, a lot of times his man can get a shot off and score too. He hasn’t mastered the aggressiveness of that situation. And on offense, he’s still not completely comfortable taking the ball back up when he gets an offensive rebound.

Every team has weaknesses. What matters is how well the pieces fit together to overcome them. But Duke has a great strength.

It’s not Cooper Flagg, but it comes from him.

Our sense is that guy’s entire focus is on winning. He’s okay scoring five points as long as he plays the right way, and he’s ferociously competitive.

As you probably know, he studied videos of the 1986 Boston Celtics on long car rides to AAU events and he saw how that team fit together. It wasn't just Larry Bird. It was Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Bill Walton, Danny Ainge, Kevin McHale and others. Watching that team pass was a thing of beauty.

They played the game the right way and we’re pretty sure that’s the lesson he took from watching that team.

Amazingly, at 18, and keeping in mind that he should still be in high school, he’s the leader of his team, quite possibly the best team in the land. Everybody accepts him in that role. And while he’s not Bird, he learned Bird’s great lesson: making your teammates better helps you win, which makes you all better.

We’re not saying he’s the only one that understands that. But his willingness to defer when it’s smart, as well as his willingness to take control when it’s necessary, has done a lot to make this team potentially great.

You can see that James does it too. Knueppel is more than happy to hit Maluach with a lob. Proctor, like everyone, passes beautifully and now hits his shots consistently. Evans understands his role. So does Brown when he’s healthy. So does Mason Gillis, who does whatever is needed, and Ngongba, who is growing rapidly. And, for that matter, so does Caleb Foster. His game took a step back in recent weeks as he has perhaps battled with his confidence.

One of the most beautiful things to see in the last few games is his teammates feeding the ball to him, encouraging him, helping him to rebuild his confidence.

What more could you want from teammates than that?

Look, no one knows how the rest of the season will play out. Upsets are always possible in the ACC and with UNC playing better, and no doubt still smarting from getting spanked in Cameron, that game won’t be easy.

However, a team that has the sort of unity that this one does, that just gets each other and sticks together, is a wondrous thing to watch. It’s a group with immense maturity. Flagg is just 18 but look at his grasp of the game. Evans says he’s here because he wants the hard stuff, he wants to earn it.

This may or may not be a championship team - an awful lot of that has to do with luck in the end - but it has a chance to be truly special.

Actually, it already is. We hope everyone is enjoying the ride and not focusing on minutia or looking too far ahead. Whatever else happens, we may never see a team like this again.