CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Duke played without Cooper Flagg for nearly 10 minutes in the first half, and as the Blue Devils’ “ran out of gas,” according to coach Jon Scheyer, they fumbled away a 15-point lead and went into the break up just one on North Carolina.
Scheyer’s message when the team hit the locker room: “This is great.”
For a team that had won five of its past six games by at least 30 points entering Saturday night’s regular-season finale against the rival Tar Heels, Scheyer was more than happy to see Duke deal with some adversity — something the Blue Devils did down the stretch, thundering to an 82-69 win over UNC to secure the No. 1 seed in next week’s ACC tournament.
“We never want to be the hunted,” Scheyer said. “Sometimes, when you talk too much about what a team is trying to do, you become the hunted. We want to be the hunters. We have to continue to do that. From here on out, it’s end-of-season time if you lose. We have to be ready to go.”
That adversity showed up with three early fouls on Flagg, including a charge that sent him to the bench for the final 3:18 of the half. With their centerpiece sidelined, the Blue Devils struggled to get stops, and UNC chipped away at a massive deficit to pull to within a point.
The second half opened with more scoring from the Tar Heels, who went up by seven with 15:44 left, but that’s when the adversity found a proper adversary in an emotional Flagg.
Flagg played the second half with three fouls and still dominated on defense, racking up four blocks to key the Blue Devils’ comeback. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. After several key plays down the stretch, including a monster dunk, he flexed and played to the hostile crowd.
“It’s just about getting into a rhythm, getting into the game,” Flagg said. “I think I’m at my best when I’m playing with energy, playing with a high motor. Having those energy plays, being high for my teammates, for myself, having that energy is contagious. I was trying to bring that in the second half.”
UNC rarely attacked Flagg early in the second half, something he said was surprising.
“It would’ve been smart,” Flagg said.
And yet, it might not have mattered. Scheyer said he’d have played Flagg regardless, telling his freshman to be aggressive but not “handsy.”
“You worry about him playing hesitant and not being himself,” Scheyer said. “For him to get four blocks while having the three fouls was big time. He was ready to play. He just wanted it almost too much.”
Afterward, Scheyer made the case for Flagg to win national player of the year honors, noting the myriad ways he impacts a game — something that was on display throughout Duke’s second-half run Saturday.
“I don’t think we’ve seen that in college in a long time,” Scheyer said, “and that’s what he does. But that’s not what Cooper plays for.”
Duke also got help from Maliq Brown, who delivered two big 3-pointers after missing three weeks because of a shoulder injury, and Caleb Foster, whose layup with 10:19 to go ignited a Duke run.
For Scheyer, the combination of bench production during Flagg’s first-half exit and overcoming the second-half deficit proved again that his team can find ample ways to win.
For the Tar Heels, the loss ensures they’ll be a hunter in the ACC tournament. After a 17-point loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 1, the Heels won seven of their next eight to return to the NCAA tournament bubble. But Saturday’s loss likely has UNC on the outside looking in, needing to win at least a couple of conference tournament games — and maybe the whole thing — next week.
“I’ve been proud of how this team has reacted,” Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said. “I don’t think that’s going to change at all. We’ll regroup and be ready to go.”
If he wants the Blue Devils to remain the hunters, Scheyer will likely need to avoid looking at the standings. Duke secured the ACC’s regular-season title with the win, but combined with Auburn’s 93-91 loss to Alabama on Saturday, it’s likely the Blue Devils will also enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 team in the country.
“We’ve never talked about being No. 1 … other than when this thing is all said and done,” Scheyer said. “Just my luck to be No. 1 going into the postseason. But we make it about finishing what’s right in front of us, doing our best in the moment, and if we do that, by the end, we want to be 1 when it’s done.”
