Rapid Reactions: Duke at Louisville

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Duke got the job done in the end. In their ACC opener, we rallied from a very, very, very slow first half to take down Louisville 76-65 on the road. This was Duke's second road matchup of the year.

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First Half: Slow Start, Big Hole

Duke got embarrassed in the first half to put it simply. Louisville came out firing, connecting on seven of their first nine three-point attempts and building a 14-point lead early. Defensively, Duke struggled to close out on three pointers, though it might have been slightly lucky, as Louisville was shooting 23% from three before the game.

Duke did end the first half strongly. A 10-2 run to close the half gave Duke some hope heading into the locker room, after, again, an embarrassing half. 37-33 at the break.

Cooper Flagg Delivers Again

Once again, Cooper Flagg proved why he’s the projected #1 draft pick in 2025. Flagg had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and a handful of key plays that kept momentum in Duke’s favor. His second-half performance, in particular, stood out.

Flagg scored 13 of his 20 points after halftime, including a key three-pointer to bring Duke within three early in the second half, which as said earlier, really brought life to this Duke team. He battled through foul trouble, eventually fouling out, though it was with about 2 minutes left in the game.

Defense Steps Up When It Matters

After the atrocious first half, Duke flipped the script in the second half. After allowing Louisville to shoot 57 percent from three in the opening 20 minutes, the Blue Devils held up, holding the Cardinals to just 28 points in the second half.

Turnovers were the difference. Duke forced Louisville into 15 giveaways and converted them into 20 points off turnovers.

Balanced Scoring Carries the Day

While Flagg was the headliner, this was a team win. Tyrese Proctor added 13 points and 4 assists, providing stability in the backcourt, also causing lots of turnovers. Kon Knueppel had 12 points, including a few big shots when Duke needed them at the end of the first/early second. Sion James rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points, season high for him.

Final Thoughts

This wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was a telling one. Overcoming a 14-point deficit on the road in the first ACC game of the year is not easy, and Duke showed resilience when it mattered most. There are still areas to clean up—particularly in how they start games—but this win sets the right tone heading into the grind of conference play.

Next up, the Blue Devils return home to Cameron Indoor to take on Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. It’s another chance to build momentum as the conference schedule starts soon.

#GODUKE