Duke’s stream of lengthy, tall NBA-ready standouts smothered Alabama and papered over Cooper Flagg’s tough capturing evening to carry the Blue Devils to this system’s 18th Final Four with an 85-65 victory Saturday evening within the NCAA Match’s East Area last.
Flagg made solely 6 of 16 pictures, together with a brick that bought caught within the flange of the rim, however nonetheless completed with 16 factors. Kon Knueppel, one other potential lottery decide, led the Blue Devils with 21 factors.
However a very powerful stat: Alabama’s nation-leading offense, one coming off a record-setting evening from 3 within the Candy 16, shot 8 for 32 from behind the arc, 35.4% general and did not crack 70 for under the second time this season.
Mark Sears, who got here one in need of a match file with 10 3s two nights earlier, completed with one and solely six factors in opposition to the Blue Devils (35-3), who received their fifteenth straight.
On the Remaining 4 in San Antonio, top-seeded Duke will play the winner of Sunday’s recreation between Houston and Tennessee. Its win erased any probability of an all-Southeastern Convention present on the Remaining 4, however with No. 1 Florida profitable earlier, it stored alive the prospect of all 4 high seeds enjoying on the game’s greatest stage for under the second time.
Khaman Maluach scored 14 factors on 6-of-7 capturing and Duke shot 53.6% regardless of its finest participant’s tough evening.
Flagg was hardly unhealthy on this one. He had 9 rebounds, three assists and one mega-block that despatched Mouhammed Dioubate’s floater flying over press row.
However in a recreation during which each groups had been targeted on taking away the opposite’s finest participant, it was Duke that did it extra successfully, switching off on Sears, locking down the perimeter and by no means letting him discover respiration room.
The fifth-year senior’s first bucket of any type got here almost 18 minutes into the sport and the shot was a 16-footer from the elbow — the precise form of midrange shot Nate Oats’ crew of dunkers and 3-point specialists avoids.
Sears’ first 3 got here with 16:19 left within the recreation. His last line: 2 for 12 from the ground, 1 for five from 3. He additionally had six assists. Labaron Philon led the second-seeded Crimson Tide (28-9) with 16 factors. Not a single Alabama participant made extra pictures than he missed.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer, main this system to the Remaining 4 for the primary time since his predecessor Mike Krzyzewski’s final season in 2022, has as much as six NBA prospects on his roster.
All of them chipped in on offense — Tyrese Proctor had 17 factors — and even moreso on protection, the place Alabama appeared nothing just like the crew that set match information for makes and makes an attempt by going 25 for 51 from 3 in opposition to BYU.
Remaining 4 firsts
The one different Remaining 4 to characteristic all No. 1 seeds was in 2008 when Kansas, Memphis, UCLA and North Carolina made it. The location: San Antonio.
One other title for Tide wheelchair crew
It wasn’t a very misplaced evening for Tide followers. Shortly earlier than tipoff, the Alabama girls’s wheelchair hoops crew beat Texas-Arlington 67-52 for its fifth straight nationwide championship.
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