NEWARK, N.J. — In an NCAA Tournament with more chalk than usual, the East Region will come down to the top two seeds.
After Mark Sears’ shooting put Alabama in the Elite Eight, Cooper Flagg did plenty of scoring and a little of everything else to lift Duke.
The freshman star tallied 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three blocks as the top-seeded Blue Devils survived fourth-seeded Arizona 100-93 in a Sweet 16 thriller on Thursday.
“That was one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of Flagg. “He just did what he was supposed to do, and he’ll move on and get ready for Alabama. I think that’s the beauty of it with him. He doesn’t get caught up in all that.”
The Blue Devils (34-3) made 13 consecutive shots from the floor, including their first nine of the second half, to leap ahead before fending off a valiant Arizona comeback spearheaded by Caleb Love.
Kon Knueppel scored 20 points, Sion James 16 and Khaman Maluach 13 for the Blue Devils. That trio combined on 16-for-21 shooting from the floor, fueling Duke’s 60 percent night (33 of 55).
Love, an NCAA Tournament stalwart at both North Carolina and Arizona, scored a season-high 35 points in his final college game. Jaden Bradley contributed 15 and Henri Veesaar added 13 for the Wildcats (24-13), who couldn’t keep up despite making 12 3-pointers.
“I just want to thank each and every one of my teammates and my coaches,” Love said, “sticking with me as a person, first and foremost, because I went through a lot transferring from my other school. They took me under their wing and they accepted me for who I was. … Without them I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be the player that I’ve grown to be.”
Arizona trailed 70-51 with 13:12 to go, but Love willed them back by pouring in 15 straight Wildcats points, converting from the paint, the arc and the foul line.
