Duke's Cooper Flagg shines in his first rivalry matchup against North Carolina, scoring 21 points to lead the Blue Devils to an 87-70 victory.

 

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Cooper Flagg didn’t just make his debut in the Duke-North Carolina rivalry on Saturday—he dominated it, staking his claim on Tobacco Road in a commanding Blue Devils victory.

The freshman phenom delivered a stellar performance, posting 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks in Duke’s 87-70 rout of the Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Head coach Jon Scheyer pulled him from the game with 48 seconds left, as the Blue Devils comfortably led by 20.

With the win, Duke remained undefeated in ACC play at 11-0, improving to 19-2 overall. Meanwhile, UNC fell to 14-9 (6-5 ACC). At least Tar Heel students got to enjoy the free pizza delivered by football coach Bill Belichick before tipoff.

Flagg wasted no time making an impact, assisting on Duke’s first basket with a feed to Sion James for a dunk. Moments later, he drained a three-pointer to break a 2-2 tie, sparking a dominant opening stretch. Duke raced out to a 23-6 lead, with Flagg contributing six points, while also making defensive plays with steals and rim protection.

By halftime, the Blue Devils held a commanding 47-25 advantage—UNC’s worst shooting half of the season (29.6% from the field, 27% from three) and their lowest-scoring first half. They also committed 10 turnovers, and the 22-point halftime deficit marked the largest in the rivalry’s last 30 years. Flagg was at the center of it all, tallying 13 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks on 4-of-7 shooting, punctuating the half with a fadeaway jumper before the buzzer.

Duke continued its dominance after the break, opening the second half with five quick points from Kon Knueppel—who led the team with 22 points while also dishing out five assists and grabbing two steals. Tyrese Proctor added 17 points, as the Blue Devils extended their lead to as much as 32 points (77-45). At one point, they threatened to surpass their largest-ever margin of victory over UNC, a 35-point win (104-69) in 1964. For comparison, UNC’s biggest win over Duke came in 1921—a 37-point victory (55-18).

RJ Davis and Drake Powell led the Tar Heels with 12 points each.

Duke will aim to keep its ACC streak alive when it visits Syracuse (9-12, 3-7) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, North Carolina will look to regroup before hosting Pittsburgh (14-7, 5-5) next week.

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