Cooper Flagg puts Arizona crowd at ease as Duke clears first road test

TUCSON, Ariz. — Seconds after no. As 12 Duke players ran onto the floor for pregame introductions at the McKale Center Friday night, someone in the crowd threw a beer can in their direction.

That moment didn’t define the mostly positive and lively atmosphere in the arena, where Cooper Flagg’s 24-point effort led the Blue Devils to a 69-55 victory over No. 17 in Arizona.

But throughout the game, building security and local police gathered near Duke’s tunnel and the team’s family and friends section out of concern that additional objects would be thrown from the crowd, sources told ESPN. The same security and police personnel also entered the Arizona student section at halftime to address the behavior of at least one fan.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he didn’t notice the chaos off the field, a metaphor for the way his team responded in the first real road game of the season.

“I didn’t even see it,” Scheyer said after the game about the beer can incident. “First of all, I thought the environment and the atmosphere was top notch. I mean, people were respectful. I thought there was just a big college basketball crowd, but at the end of the day, the crowd doesn’t control how you defend, how you sprint back in defense, how you take care of the ball.”

More than 14,000 gathered for the highly anticipated matchup between a pair of teams that hadn’t met in Tucson since the 1980s. The notable personalities in the crowd gave the game a primetime feel. Flag, the expected no. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and his teammates faced an Arizona squad led by Caleb Love, a preseason All-American.

Mike Bibby and Gilbert Arenas, a pair of former NBA stars who anchored some of Arizona’s biggest teams, sat in the front row. Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal found his spot next to them early in the game, while Beal’s teammates Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen — who starred on Duke’s 2014-15 national title team — sat behind the Blue Devils’ bench.

Savannah James and Bryce James, son of LeBron James and a prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, also attended the game.

Flagg delivered his best showing of the season in another high-profile game, more than a week after committing several turnovers in the final seconds of a loss to Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. Arizona looked to contain him in the first half, but Flagg dominated after halftime as he had 16 points.

Flagg, who shot 10-of-22 from the field, also finished with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

“He’s tall, athletic and he can finish over a lot of bodies,” said Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, who led his team with 18 points. “He’s just super athletic. I feel like we did a good job of containing him in the first half. I think we just got away from the game plan and then we didn’t talk, didn’t communicate as a group, and he found openings in our defense. He creates mismatch problems for them able to shoot over the top or get past him.”

As his team went into halftime, Scheyer said, “We’ve been here before,” referring to Duke’s halftime lead over Kentucky in the Champions Classic loss. But Duke avoided a similar fate in Tucson as Flagg, Tyrese Proctor (eight points, four assists, four rebounds) and Kon Knueppel (13 points, 3-for-6 from the 3-point line) would not relent.

“It was a high-level college basketball game,” Flagg said. “It was really physical and they’re a very physical team. So I think I found my footing (in the second half).”

Arizona entered the game in the top-five in adjusted pace per KenPom, and they were also the top offensive rebounding team in America. Against the Blue Devils, however, Arizona scored just six points on fast breaks and grabbed just six offensive rebounds.

After the match, the fears of the security and police personnel did not materialize. No additional items were thrown from the stands and Duke players, staff, family members and friends all safely exited the building without incident.

The Blue Devils, who will now face Kansas no. 1 in Las Vegas next week, had weathered storms on and off the floor in their first real road test. Scheyer said he was impressed with his team’s resiliency in that environment, especially as Arizona tried to close the gap late.

“I thought there were a couple of stretches at the beginning of the second half late when I think it was cut to eight points … but having the maturity to respond and then get back on defense, I think, ​​it’s a credit to these guys,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of game situations this year and in the preseason (in practice), but it’s really the maturity of them.”