The Jon Scheyer-led Duke Blue Devils are trying to bring back their golden days that existed under Coach K. And one of their assets is Cooper Flagg. However, when the Blue Devils took the court against the Auburn Tigers, Flagg had his own set of struggles, nonetheless, they were successful in defeating the number 2 ranked Tigers, courtesy of another star.

On Wednesday’s episode of The Field Of 68: After Dark, Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster shared why the Blue Devils were able to upset the Tigers, despite an average shooting from Flagg, and why their NCAA title hopes are still fresh.

“Other than shooting the three, Cooper Flagg did everything tonight. And he had help, Proctor made some shots, Kon Knueppel made a drive at the end of the game, it was big. Sion James made a couple of key plays. This was just a good team win for Duke, when again, I think they needed to have to against the team that stood the best so far this season, the Auburn Tigers,” Jeff Goodman said.

Flagg hit a game-high 22 points but lacked impressive shooting stats. He could only score in 7-of-18 field goals and zilch threes. But his teammate Tyrese Proctor did not let the Blue Devils be held back due to it. Proctor, who has an NIL value of $63K, scored 4-of-10 field goals and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Therefore, Duke was able to compensate for the lack of shooting from Flagg.

“The one thing I think was good for them tonight is that they made their big shots before it was the final possession of the game. Like the Tyrese Proctor three that he hit to beat that shot clock buzzer, that might’ve been like…it’s probably too early to call it a game-winner but that was the moment that you were like ‘Alright this is probably going to be Duke’s night,'” Dauster mentioned Proctor’s huge three with just 4:20 seconds left on the shot clock right after he mentioned how he is not concerned about whether the Blue Devils can win these games but whether they can make their money shots when it counts.

Other than that, Kon Knueppel made two free throws and a layup with a minute remaining from the final buzzer, which helped the Blue Devils maintain an unassailable lead. Plus their guard Sion James hit 9 points with 5 rebounds which did contribute to the Duke’s 84-78 win. Overall, it was a sight to watch the ninth-ranked Blue Devils usurp the second-ranked Tigers, and this certainly has lifted their hopes.

Duke can make a difference in the NCAA Championship competition

When Coach K retired in 2022, his associate coach Jon Scheyer took over the reins of the Blue Devils. But in his first two seasons, the 5x NCAA Champions were nowhere compared to their previous glory. While they ended the first season under Scheyer in the Round of 32, their campaign was cut short in the Elite Eight last season.

And as the Blue Devils lost two games-  one against Kansas and Kentucky this year, it wasn’t expected of the Blue Devils to upset the number two ranked Tigers. Hence, this has reignited their hopes of making a difference in the NCAA tournament this season.

“Duke is gonna win this year because of their defense hangs in. Like this is a team that is going to be built around… You’re not gonna be able to score, you’re not gonna be easy. Auburn is huge. Huge on the wings, huge everywhere. And they kind of looked small going up against Duke in Cameron tonight. It was a really impressive win for me for Duke,” Dauster added.

The Blue Devils showed spectacular defense collecting 34 rebounds out of which 22 were on the defensive end. To top that, the team had 7 steals and 4 blocks and at no point, it looked as if they were against a big team. Hopefully, Duke will carry on their on-song performances and continue to thrill their fans.