Arizona basketball takes on its toughest challenge of the season in No. 12 Duke and their star Cooper Flagg.
No. 17 Arizona basketball (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) squares off against Duke (3-1, 0-0 ACC) on Nov. 22 at 8:30 p.m. MST (10:30 p.m. EST). The Wildcats face the Blue Devils after a decisive victory over them last year in Cameron Indoor. This time around the Wildcats hope they can hold onto home advantage in the contest, especially as Duke poses itself as a juggernaut behind their star Cooper Flagg
General Information:
Teams: Arizona and Duke
Tip time: 8:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. EST)
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: Wildcats Radio 1290 AM
What to know about Duke:
Duke was one of the most hyped teams coming into the 2024-25 season. They have four 5-star recruits, including the number one-ranked Cooper Flagg (nicknamed the Maine Event). Flagg has certainly been crucial to the Blue Devils’ performances, averaging 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Kon Knueppel, another 5-star for the Blue Devils, has also been impactful, averaging 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
Duke started their season rolling winning in huge games with a 34-point win over the University of Maine and a 42-point win over Army. However, their strong start diminished as they went to State Farm Arena in Atlanta to face the University of Kentucky. The Blue Devils fell to the Wildcats 77-72, after Flagg’s two costly late turnovers that turned into five free throws for Kentucky. Despite the loss and turnover trouble, Flagg still put up 26 points.
Unlike Arizona however, Duke had a refreshing victory after their loss in an 86-35 rout of Wofford. Despite the rout, Flagg struggled scoring eight points on 3-8 shooting and 1-5 three-point shooting in his worst outing of the season so far. Will this win be enough to rally the Blue Devils ahead of the Wildcats in their matchup?
Latest on Arizona basketball:
After Arizona’s stellar start to their season, they were upset on their away outing against the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. The Badgers were able to not just win, but dominate in a 15-point 103-88 victory. Arizona was unable to hold back Wisconsin’s John Tonje, who ended up having 41 points on 8-14 shooting as well as 21-22 at the free throw line. Arizona’s luck with the three-ball was absent, as Arizona started the first half four and 13 behind the arch just to then miss all 10 attempts in the second half.
However, this three-issue wasn’t just seen only in this outing but it certainly exacerbated it. In the Wildcats last two games before Wisconsin, Arizona shot 9-26 for three against Canisius and 2-16 against Old Dominion. The focus on the three hampers the Arizona offense and isn’t a good guarantee for them at this time, especially facing one of the best teams in the nation with Duke.
Arizona needs to diversify its playstyle if it hopes to bring down the Blue Devils. Will the recent loss be able to fuel the Wildcats to an upset against Duke?