Blue Devils Visit Clemson on Saturday

The Opening Tip

No. 2 Duke remains on the road, making the trip to Clemson on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Blue Devils (20-2, 12-0 ACC) and Tigers (18-5, 10-2 ACC) tip off at 6:30 p.m., with the game broadcast live on ESPN.
Dave O'Brien, Cory Alexander and Dick Vitale will call the action on ESPN. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Dick Vitale is set to broadcast his first game since the 2023 national championship game.
Duke has won eight of the last 10 meetings against Clemson and leads the all-time series 115-33, including a 26-20 advantage in games played at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Duke has won 16 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the nation.
Duke's 16-game win streak is the longest by the Blue Devils since the 2005-06 season.
Duke's 12-0 start in ACC play is the best by Duke since the 2005-06 season, when the Blue Devils began the ACC slate with 14 consecutive wins.
The Blue Devils lead the country in scoring margin (+20.7) and rank fifth in scoring defense (59.8), seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.377), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.69), 11th in rebound margin (+8.5), 23rd in assists per game (17.0), 27th in three-pointers per game (10.0) and 41st in field goal percentage (.480) - all top marks in the ACC.
Duke is the only team in the country ranked among the top-four in both offensive (4th) and defensive efficiency (2nd), according to KenPom.
Duke is the only Division I team to score 80 points or more per game (80.5) and hold its opponents to fewer than 60 points per game (59.8).
Maliq Brown, who topped the ACC with 71 steals last season as a member of the Syracuse Orange, leads the Blue Devils with 103 deflections (eight vs. UNC; 9 vs. Syracuse), an average of 6.1 per game, and is second on the squad with 28 steals.
Cooper Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, tops Duke in points (430), rebounds (172), assists (91), steals (32) and blocked shots (28).
Flagg ranks among the ACC's top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories - scoring (3rd), rebounding (8th), assists (7th) and blocks (8th), and is 13th in steals.
In the last nine games, Sion James has distributed 38 assists with just nine turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.2.
Duke is 16-0 when Kon Knueppel connects on two or more three-pointers.

Last Time Out

No. 2 Duke never trailed en route to an 83-54 victory at Syracuse on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The Blue Devils (20-2, 12-0 ACC) used double-digit scoring performances from five players and scored a season-high 23 points off turnovers to help extend their winning streak to 16 games.
Tyrese Proctor poured in a game-high 16 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, and was joined in double-figures by Kon Knueppel (12), Cooper Flagg (11), Isaiah Evans (10) and Sion James (10), who dished a team-high four dimes.
Maliq Brown reeled in a game-high eight rebounds, while also tallying six points, four steals, two assists and one block, while leading the team in +/-, finishing the contest at +24 in 22 minutes of play.
Duke extended its winning streak to 16 games, the longest active stretch in the country and its longest winning streak since the Blue Devils won 17 consecutive games to begin the 2005-06 season.
Duke improved to 7-0 in road games and has won all but one of those games by at least 11 points, with four of those double-digit wins coming by at least 25 points.
With the victory, Duke improved to 12-0 in ACC play. The last time a Duke team won its first 12 conference games was during the 2005-06 campaign, when the Blue Devils began the ACC slate with 14 consecutive wins.
With the win, Duke earned its 20th win of the season. The Blue Devils have reached the 20-win threshold in each of Scheyer's first three seasons as head coach of the program and for the 28th time in the past 29 seasons (exception 2020-21; COVID).
On the defensive end of the floor, Duke held Syracuse to a season-low 54 points. The Blue Devils have now held an opponent to a season low in scoring nine different times this season.
Duke limited Syracuse to 54 points and has held all but two unranked teams to less than 65 points this season.
Duke only turned the ball over six times, giving the Blue Devils back-to-back games with less than 10 turnovers.
The Blue Devils dished 18 assists, ending the game with a 3-to-1 assist/turnover ratio.
On defense, Duke forced 14 turnovers, fueled by swiping 12 steals – tied for the most in a game this season by the Blue Devils - resulting in a season-high 23 points off turnovers.

Duke Among Nation's Top Defenses

Duke is once again one of the top defenses in the country.
KenPom ranks the Blue Devils as the second-best defense in the nation with an adjusted defense efficiency rating of 88.3 (as of Feb. 6).
This season, Duke ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense (59.8) and seventh in field goal percentage defense (.377) - both top marks in the ACC.
Based on EvanMiya's Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating, Duke has six of the top 14 defenders in the ACC: Cooper Flagg (1st), Maliq Brown (2nd), Kon Knueppel (3rd), Sion James (10th), Khaman Maluach (11th) and Tyrese Proctor (14th). Flagg ranks as the No. 1 defender in the nation with a rating of 4.67.
Proctor has limited opposing players to just 22% shooting from the field this season, while Brown is second on the Blue Devils by holding opponents to 26% shooting, based on team data.
Brown leads Duke with 103 deflections, an average of 6.1 per game, including eight against North Carolina and nine at Syracuse, while Flagg is second on the team with 64 deflections.
Last season, the 2023-24 Blue Devils finished the season 16th in the nation in defense efficiency (95.2), and ranked 28th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 66.3 points per game.
In 2022-23, Jon Scheyer's first season as head coach, Duke finished the season 16th in the nation in defense efficiency (93.9), and ranked 24th in three-point percentage defense (.305), 27th in field goal percentage defense (.406) and 30th in scoring defense (63.6).

Flagg Collecting Accolades and Making History

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, secured a spot on the 2024-25 Associated Press preseason All-America Team.
The 6-9 guard/forward was also announced as the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year and named to the Preseason All-ACC First Team, as chosen by a select media panel.
Flagg collected 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the season-opener against Maine to become the first freshman in Duke history to have at least 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in their debut.
Flagg was the first Duke player in the last 40 years to amass 50+ points, 25+ rebounds and 10+ assists in his first three career games, per ESPN.
Flagg was voted as the ACC Men's Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week on Nov. 25, becoming the first player to earn both honors in the same week since Feb. 3, 2020, when Duke's Vernon Carey, Jr., accomplished the same feat.
Flagg has posted six double-doubles this season, including four with 20 points or more and two of those against ranked opponents, collecting 26 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 19 Kentucky and 22 points and 11 caroms against No. 2 Auburn.
Flagg became the only 17-year-old in NCAA history to register multiple 20-point double-doubles, according to Real Sports.
In Duke's four top-25 matchups, Flagg averaged 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
After registering a pair of 20-point double-doubles without committing a turnover against No. 2 Auburn and at Louisville, Flagg was declared the Associated Press and Lute Olson National Player of the Week and the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 9).
Flagg is just the sixth player in Duke history to score at least 200 points and grab at least 100 rebounds within Duke's first 13 games of the respective season, joining Jabari Parker (278 points/104 rebounds in 2013-14), Marvin Bagley III (274/142 in 2017-18), Zion Williamson (263/123 in 2018-19), Jahill Okafor (253/113 in 2014-15) and Vernon Carey Jr. (233/117 in 2019-20).
Flagg broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame (Jan. 11), becoming the youngest player in NCAA history to have a 40-point game, according to Real Sports.
On Jan. 13, Flagg became the first player in ACC history to sweep the conference weekly awards (player and rookie of the week) three times. He is the fifth player in the history of the league to sweep the conference's weekly awards multiple times in a season, joining four former Blue Devils - Vernon Carey Jr. (2019-20), Zion Williamson (2018-19), Marvin Bagley III (2017-18) and Jabari Parker (2013-14), who each did so twice.
The freshman achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the fall 2024 semester.
Flagg has been voted as the ACC Rookie of the Week nine times (Nov. 18, Nov. 25, Dec. 9, Dec. 23, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3) and the ACC Player of the Week four times (Nov. 25, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Feb. 3).
Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, currently leads Duke in points (430), rebounds (172), assists (91), steals (32) and blocked shots (28).
Flagg ranks among the ACC's top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories - scoring (3rd), rebounding (8th), assists (7th) and blocks (8th), and ranks 13th in steals.
Flagg currently leads the KenPom Player of the Year Standings with a 2.733 rating, ahead of Auburn's Johni Broome (2.346) and Purdue's Braden Smith (1.596).
Flagg also tops the EvanMiya's Bayesian Performance Rating, measuring a player's overall value to his team when he is on the floor, with a combined offensive and defensive rating of 10.22, ahead of Auburn's Johni Broome at 10.09. Flagg also ranks as the No. 1 defender in the nation with a rating of 4.67.

On This Date

Duke has a record of 23-8 on Feb. 8.
The Blue Devils have won 10 out of the last 11 on this date.
Duke last played on Feb. 8 in 2020, a 98-96 overtime victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
On Feb. 8, 2004, Duke defeated Clemson, 81-55, in Durham.
Duke owns a 13-4 record in road contests played on this date.

All-Access with Coach Jon Scheyer Debuts

The weekly television show, "Duke All-Access with Jon Scheyer," is back for its third season in 2024-25.
The 30-minute show features Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils team. Presented in magazine format and produced by John Roth, the show also includes informative player features and behind-the-scenes access to the Duke program.
A production of Blue Devil Sports Properties from LEARFIELD, the show airs locally on ABC-11 WTVD on Sundays at noon ET and is live streamed on ABC11.com Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET. It is also available regionally across the FanDuel Sports Network on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. ET; and on MASN Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. ET. It can also be viewed via the Duke Athletics YouTube Channel and archived on GoDuke.com.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".

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Blue Devils Visit Clemson on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maliq Brown

Isaiah Evans

Cooper Flagg

Sion James

Kon Knueppel

Khaman Maluach

Tyrese Proctor

Duke information

Blue Devils Visit Clemson on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maliq Brown

Isaiah Evans

Cooper Flagg

Sion James

Kon Knueppel

Khaman Maluach

Tyrese Proctor

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Duke information