NEW YORK – If New York City Duke fans came to Madison Square Garden looking to see the Cooper Flagg show, they got something different instead:
An absolute offensive clinic by the fellas from Durham, and the worst beatdown their opponent had ever received.
Toying with Illinois from the opening tap at the SentinelOne Classic Saturday night, third-ranked Duke did whatever it wanted and got contributions from everyone en route to a 110-67 win.
Scoring a season-high 54 points in the first half, Duke rolled and showed that even when Flagg doesn’t have a big offensive night (he did score 16), this team is so loaded it doesn’t matter much.
Duke (24-3) put seven players in double figures for the first time since 2017, and got everything it wanted on offense.
The numbers from this obliteration are staggering. Duke’s 43-point margin of victory is its largest neutral-site regular season win since 1953-54.
It’s Illinois’ worst loss in program history. (the Illini started playing in 1905).
Or maybe the most incredible stat of the night: Blue Devils walk-on Spencer Hubbard made only one fewer 3-pointer (one) than the entire Illinois team (two).
“I thought it was messed up that (the crowd) got loudest for Spencer Hubbard,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, jokingly. … “No, we played great. Our defense was really consistent, and to me, the sharing, the 28 assists to six turnovers, and just the consistency of everyone stepping up. Couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”
Duke was heavily favored entering the game, and Illinois had several players battling the flu and injuries. So most expected the Blue Devils to win.
But the sheer obliteration was staggering. Pretty much the entire second half was garbage time, after Duke, with a 17-point lead, ran off the first nine points after the break to remove any possible doubt as to the outcome.
The biggest cheer of the night for Illinois fans came with 16 minutes left, when after starting the game 0-16 from 3-point range, the Illini’s Tomislav Ivisic finally made one.
The thousands of orange-clad fans in the arena went as wild as if they’d made the Final Four.
For Duke, every player on the roster played well Saturday. You could start with Kon Knueppel, showing newfound aggression in driving the ball, scoring 15 points and committing only one turnover.
Or look at Sion James, whose insertion into the starting lineup beginning with the Auburn game in December was maybe Scheyer’s best move all year. The Tulane transfer got the party started Saturday with two 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and finished with 11 points, six assists and no turnovers. He now has an absurd 69 assists to 17 turnovers this year.
“It was incredible out there tonight,” James said. “And as we were rolling, it felt like a lot of Duke fans in the building were really loud. So much fun to play here.”
“It’s not just his playmaking; he’s in control of the game,” Scheyer said of James. “He’s so unselfish, and his ability to play fast and get downhill, but also to be in control and make simple, really good passes, is so important. He makes everybody better around him.”
Duke also got solid games from Isaiah Evans, who led the team with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and Khaman Maluach, who chipped in 13 points and seven boards.
It was an electric atmosphere as usual here at MSG, where Duke had won seven straight games.
Illinois (17-11) came in having lost two straight and three of five, as a flu bug and injuries had ravaged the Illini lineup. Their freshman sensation Kasparas Jakucionis was very quiet early, as Flagg and James took turns guarding him.
And Illinois couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc, starting 0-16 from 3 to start the game, not making one for the entire first half despite getting quite a few open looks.
It added up to as thorough a beatdown as any Duke fan could’ve possibly imagined; remember, Illinois may have lost 10 games but this is an NCAA Tournament team Duke did this to, not some non-conference patsy from a mid-major.
“Eight o’clock, Saturday night, Madison Square Garden, against a great Illinois team, this win meant a lot to our guys,” Scheyer said. “A privilege to be here and get to be a part of this game.”
