In a thrilling Sweet 16 matchup, Duke held off Arizona 100-93 to advance to the Elite Eight. Freshman Cooper Flagg led the way with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in a standout performance. Caleb Love kept Arizona close, scoring 35 points in what was his final collegiate game.
The game featured 46 fouls—24 on Arizona and 22 on Duke—drawing fan frustration over the officiating in a game marked by high-level play and emotional swings.
Cooper Flagg Shines as Duke Outlasts Arizona in Sweet 16 Thriller, Fans Debate
Flagg came out hot, scoring 18 first-half points to help Duke build a six-point halftime lead. The matchup featured plenty of back-and-forth action, but officiating drew much of the attention from viewers, especially Arizona fans, who questioned several calls.
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“It seemed like the refs were favoring a different team in five-minute intervals. Ngl, halfway into the second half, I thought for sure they had a parlay or something,” one fan wrote.
Another fan commented on Love’s performance:
“Ngl, I think he would’ve done it again if y’all didn’t have Flagg. We always said the only player who can stop Love is himself.”
While another added more context.
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“Duke was just an absolute buzz saw tonight. Best disciplined offensive team I’ve seen in a very long time. I don’t see them losing the rest of the way.”
Flagg became the first Duke player to record at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NCAA Tournament game since assists became an official stat in 1984. He also joined UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon (1994) as just the second player in NCAA Tournament history to post 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a single game.
Arizona played Duke even for most of the first half, but a key sequence before the break swung momentum. With the score tied at 42, Duke’s Kon Knueppel hit a three, followed by a missed shot from Love. Flagg then drilled a deep buzzer-beater to give the Blue Devils a 48-42 edge at halftime.
Duke opened the second half with a 14-5 run to stretch the lead to 15. Arizona battled back but never closed the gap to fewer than five points.
The Blue Devils shot 60% from the field, 58% from 3-point range and 85% from the free-throw line. It was their fifth 100-point game of the season and their second win over Arizona, having defeated the Wildcats 69-55 in November.
“They’re a team that they come down, they have a plan, they know what they want to get, and they’re able to get to it consistently, which is hard to do,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said.
Love’s 35-point effort helped keep Arizona competitive. According to ESPN Research, he became the first player to score 35 points without a turnover against a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since Michael Finley in 1994.
He also became just the second player in tournament history to notch a 30-point game with two different programs.
KEEP READING: Where Does Cooper Flagg’s Freshman Season Rank Among All-Time Greats?
Duke will face Alabama in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
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