Call Mount Against “Awful” ACC Referees as Cooper Flagg Leads Duke to Another Prominent Win

Calling out referees for not officiating properly is nothing new in basketball games. This was the same case when it came to the crowd in Cameron Indoor Stadium as the Duke squared off against NC State in what became a nail-biting showdown. Duke eventually pulled off a 74-64 win, staying perfect in ACC play and jumping to No. 1 in the rankings. While Cooper Flagg dominated again with 28 points and 7 rebounds, and NC State gave it their all with a late push, the officiating stole the spotlight—for all the wrong reasons.

Viewers weren’t shy about calling out the refs on social media, with tweets like “Refs in the Duke game are awful” summing up the mood. It wasn’t just about a few missed calls here and there—viewers felt the inconsistency in whistle-blowing completely disrupted the game’s rhythm, leaving big moments overshadowed by questionable decisions.

One instance that riled people up came in the second half when Duke’s freshman center, Khaman Maluach, had to leave after throwing up on the court. It was a bizarre scene, but instead of pausing the game to clean up and ensure everyone’s safety, play just continued. Fans were baffled, with many feeling like this was yet another example of how poorly the game was being handled.

Meanwhile, Cooper Flagg kept battling through what felt like endless contact. Time and again, he was getting hacked on drives or under the rim, and the refs just weren’t calling it. You could feel the frustration building—not just from Cooper but from everyone watching. It’s one thing to let a game play out physically, but this felt like the refs weren’t even watching.

Even with all the chaos, Duke managed to weather NC State’s late surge. The Wolfpack had cut the lead to just one possession at one point, but Duke clamped down defensively. NC State only managed one more bucket—a layup from Brandon Huntley-Hatfield—for the rest of the game. Still, fans couldn’t shake the feeling that the refs had overshadowed what should’ve been a showcase of great basketball.

In the end, Duke walked away with another win and a No. 1 ranking, but the officiating drama left a bad taste for everyone watching.

After the game, the Blue Devil Nation couldn’t ignore how bad the refs were. The lack of calls on Cooper’s physical plays was all anyone could talk about.  In the end, Duke got the win and kept their perfect ACC record intact, but this game’s legacy? It’s gonna be all about the refs—and not in a good way.

Fans erupt over controversial ref’s calls in Duke-NC state clash

One fan tweeted, “Alotttt of contact on Cooper Flagg being let go…” this really shows how upset fans were. Cooper was getting hit hard throughout the game, and yet, the refs weren’t making the calls. It felt like they weren’t even paying attention to the obvious fouls, leaving Cooper to take hits without any penalty for the other team.

Then, another fan jumped in with, “Duke/NC State refs garbage.” The tweet hits home—it’s not just one or two missed calls, but a series of them that left the fan base feeling like the refs were missing the obvious stuff. Cooper was getting knocked around, and it just wasn’t being acknowledged.

Meanwhile, someone else tweeted, “Wow these refs are something else,” reflecting just how shocked people were at how the game was being handled. It’s like they couldn’t even believe what they were seeing—how could the refs be so blind to what was happening on the court?

And then there was the tweet, “Holy shit these refs suck.” By this point, it’s clear—the frustration had hit its peak. Fans were fed up with the way the game was being called, especially when it seemed to be affecting Duke’s star player in such a big way.

Then, Blue Devil Nation weighed in with a tweet, “Man, these referees let them rake Cooper Flagg, who is an All-American. Where are the Tyler H calls? Fixy.” The anger was firey—fans weren’t just calling out the bad calls, they were demanding accountability. They felt Cooper, as an All-American, deserved more protection, and they weren’t going to let it slide.

Overall, the reaction was one of disbelief and frustration. Fans were still celebrating the win, but they couldn’t ignore how badly the refereeing was affecting the flow of the game—and they made sure to let everyone know it.