The Duke Blue Devils have done it again, keeping their perfect ACC record intact and stretching their winning streak to 14 games—the longest in the nation, by the way. Monday night they bagged a 74-64 win over NC State. Now, sure, everyone’s used to seeing Cooper Flagg dominate, and he did just that—but it was another player, Kon Knueppel, who stole the show with an unorthodox yet genius play. 

Late in the second half, Duke’s guard Tyrese Proctor was about to fall out of bounds with the ball. Instead of waiting for a pass, Knueppel grabbed Proctor’s leg (yes, his leg!) and yanked him back onto the court to keep the play alive. 

Forbes Sports contributor Adam Zagoria summed it up perfectly on X, saying, “Never seen this before in a hoops game as Duke’s Kon Knueppel pulls Tyrese Proctor’s leg to keep him in bounds.”

Knueppel didn’t just bring the smarts—he brought the stats, too. He finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and three forced turnovers. And Flagg, as usual, put up a monster numbers—28 points (23 of those in the second half alone), and seven rebounds.

The freshman once again showed why he’s a generational talent, stepping up when it mattered most. Moreover, now, he is averaging 25.4 points per game in January on 57.9% shooting. The last freshman to do that? None other than Zion Williamson in 2019. And just like that, he has another college basketball record in his bag.

But this wasn’t an easy win. NC State came out swinging, taking a four-point lead at halftime and even building a 13-point cushion at one point. They were lights out from beyond the arc, draining seven threes in the first half. Duke, meanwhile, was shooting just 34% from the field before the break. 

But then came halftime, and it was like someone flipped a switch. The Blue Devils opened the second half with a blazing 12-0 run, flipping the script entirely. Flagg was the heart of this turnaround, sinking clutch free throws (11-for-13 for the game) and making aggressive plays. 

NC State didn’t back down, though, clawing back to within a point late in the game. But that’s when Flagg delivered the dagger—a four-point play that extended Duke’s lead to 57-50 and crushed the Wolfpack’s hopes.

As if the on-court action wasn’t intense enough, the game had not one but two medical delays, too.

Chaos on the court: Cooper Flagg & Co. push through two wild delays 

The first incident saw Duke’s starting center, Khaman Maluach, suddenly vomit on the court with just under five minutes left in the second half. Maluach clutched his mouth before turning to the baseline and, well, making a mess. 

The staff quickly cleaned it up with a mountain of towels, and Maluach left the floor. After the game, head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that cramping had caused the episode but assured everyone that Maluach was feeling better postgame.

Then, just a few minutes later, another delay hit. This time, it wasn’t a player but a Duke student who appeared to pass out in the stands. The ESPN broadcast caught security personnel carrying the student away toward the locker rooms. “It looks like a young lady has passed out here. They are taking her away,” announcer Dave O’Brien said. 

As of now, there’s no update on her condition, but here’s hoping she’s okay. Despite all the chaos, Duke stayed focused and finished strong. They’re now 18-2 overall and a flawless 10-0 in the ACC, their best start to league play since 2008.

Let’s see how the next showdown against North Carolina plays out!