On Wednesday night, Duke entered the intense atmosphere of Syracuse’s JMA Wireless Dome, one of the largest arenas in college basketball. The Blue Devils were led by their top prospect, Cooper Flagg, who had been in impressive form throughout ACC play, scoring over 20 points in his last four games. However, in this particular matchup, his offensive momentum seemed to stall.
While fans were eager to watch Flagg’s performance, it was Isaiah Evans who ended up making the most electrifying play of the night. Following a block by Khaman Maluach, Evans threw down a powerful dunk, which quickly became a highlight. Duke’s social media team later shared photos from the game, captioning them:
I love this team pic.twitter.com/ROMqxcGper
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 6, 2025
“I love this team.”
The post gained significant attention as fans celebrated the spectacular moment. Meanwhile, Flagg struggled to get into rhythm early on. His first points came seven minutes into the game with a three-pointer from the wing, and he later added a mid-range jumper in the final minutes of the first half.
Driving to the basket proved difficult for Flagg, which in turn slowed down Duke’s offensive flow. Despite this, the Blue Devils still managed a solid 6-of-15 shooting performance from beyond the arc in the first half.
Duke’s Defense and Team Effort Shine Against Syracuse
Every bucket from Cuse pic.twitter.com/JftmayKtev
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 6, 2025
For junior transfer Maliq Brown, this game carried extra significance as he returned to face his former team. Brown had built a reputation as a strong defender, averaging 5.9 deflections and 1.5 steals per game. Just days earlier, he had played a key defensive role in Duke’s matchup against North Carolina.
Duke’s head coach, Jon Scheyer, had hoped for a more aggressive approach from Flagg, particularly in drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line. However, Flagg managed just two free-throw attempts in the first half. Duke also struggled with rebounding, as Maluach and Brown combined for only four rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
On the defensive end, Duke’s interior presence, led by Maluach and Patrick Ngongba II, forced Syracuse into taking difficult shots. The Orange, who had only been shooting 31.9% from three-point range this season, found themselves taking contested attempts with little success. Duke’s defensive intensity, particularly in contesting shots and disrupting passing lanes, prevented Syracuse from taking advantage of offensive rebounds and second-chance points.
Second Half Dominance Seals the Win
At the start of the second half, Kon Knueppel made an immediate impact. He locked in on Lucas Taylor, preventing an open shot off a flare screen before intercepting a pass from J.J. Starling. Moments later, he sank a three-pointer, extending Duke’s lead to 17 points and strengthening the team’s control of the game.
Duke maintained its dominance throughout the remainder of the contest, securing another road victory.
Up next, the Blue Devils will continue their stretch of games against teams with orange-themed uniforms, as they travel to Littlejohn Coliseum to face Clemson on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.