Precariously perfect: 3 takeaways from Duke basketball's win over Triangle rival NC State

Steve Wiseman and Jadyn Watson-Fisher, The News & Observer on Jan 27, 2025

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DURHAM, N.C. —Seriously tested for the second time in three days, No. 2 Duke needed another spectacular game from Cooper Flagg to keep its winning streak alive.

Flagg scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as the Blue Devils rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat N.C. State, 74-64, in ACC basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night.

The lone unbeaten team in ACC play this season, Duke (18-2, 10-0 ACC) has won 14 games in a row. It’s the first 14-game winning streak for Duke since its 2014-15 NCAA championship team won the first 14 games that season.

After needing a rally in the final nine minutes to win 63-56 at Wake Forest on Saturday, Duke found itself down 37-26 against N.C. State with fewer than two minutes remaining in the first half. The Blue Devils then unleashed a 19-0 run that covered the final minutes until halftime and the first 5:36 of the second half.

Flagg scored eight of Duke’s first 12 points after halftime, including a bank shot in the lane at 17:39 that tied the score at 37. Flagg’s two free throws with 14:24 to play gave Duke a 45-37 lead.

The Wolfpack (9-11, 2-7 ACC), shooting 3-pointers uncharacteristically well, kept fighting though. Trey Parker’s 3-pointer with 9:35 to play cut the Duke lead to 51-50.

N.C. State, a 30.5% 3-point shooting team this season, made 10 of 22 (45.5%) against Duke.

The Wolfpack pushed the Blue Devils, becoming the first team in nearly two months to build a double-digit lead against Duke and the first team to lead Duke at halftime. The last time those things happened was Dec. 8 when Duke rallied to win, 76-65, at Louisville.

Flagg topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time in the past eight games.

After shooting a season-worst 36.8%, and hitting its season-low point total, while winning 63-56 at Wake Forest on Saturday, Duke shot 39% against N.C. State.

Kon Knueppel scored 19 points for Duke while Sion James added 13.

Dontrez Styles led N.C. State with 18 points as the Wolfpack shot 32.1% in the second half to finish at 40.7% for the game.

Here are three takeaways from the battle of Triangle rivals:

Kon comes through for Duke

Knueppel’s up-and-down scoring of late appears to be back on an upswing. The freshman had scored in double figures in six consecutive games, including a season-high 25 points against Miami on Jan. 14, before a scoreless outing when Duke won 88-63 at Boston College on Jan. 18.

Knueppel responded with 15 points in Duke’s 63-56 comeback win at Wake Forest on Saturday.

He scored 11 points in the first half against N.C. State on Monday night and, most importantly, he made three 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. Why is that so important? The Blue Devils are now 15-0 when Knueppel makes at least two 3-pointers this season.

State’s Marcus Hill a non-factor

Marcus Hill entered the game as N.C. State’s leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points and hitting 50% of his shots this season.

But Hill missed his first eight shots and didn’t score his first point until hitting a free throw with 11:05 to play in the game. He finally made his first field goal at the 4:40 mark when he scored in a the lane, drew a foul and added a free throw to slice Duke’s lead to 63-62.

He finished 1 of 10 from the field, scoring four points. It’s his first game failing to reach double digits since he scored four points when the Wolfpack lost 72-61 to BYU in San Diego on Nov. 29.

Hot start aids Wolfpack

N.C. State has looked uninspired and unenergized at times this season, especially at the start of games, which led to deficits.

Such was not the case on Monday at Cameron.

The Blue Devils might’ve won the tip and taken a 2-0 lead, but the Wolfpack responded. It took several minutes for N.C. State to find its offense, but when it did, the team took control.

Statistically, the Wolfpack is one of the worst rebounding teams in the ACC (and nation) this season. It remained competitive with the Blue Devils, one of the best rebounding teams, on the boards in the first half. The Pack led the Devils in rebounds, 8-7, roughly seven minutes into the game.

When N.C. State cooled off on the glass, Duke wrested control of the game. The final rebounding tally favored Duke, 47-29.

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