NEWARK, N.J. (WNCN) — The matchup between No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Alabama in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament was a highly-anticipated one, but the Blue Devils proved to be too much for the Crimson Tide.
Duke (35-3) soundly defeated Alabama (28-9) by a score of 85-65 to win the East Region portion of the bracket in Newark, N.J. Saturday night, earning a spot in the Final Four in San Antonio next weekend.
National player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg started the game with a three-pointer to get the Blue Devils on the board first and they never looked back, leading the entirety of the game. Flagg finished the night with 16 points and nine rebounds. Kon Knueppel led Duke’s balanced offense with 21 points.
The Crimson Tide’s high-octane offense, which exploded for 25 three-pointers en route to 113 points in the Sweet 16 against No. 6 BYU, could not get into a rhythm against Duke’s length. Veteran leader Mark Sears, who scored 34 points against BYU, only managed six points and six assists against the Blue Devils while also committing five turnovers. Labaron Philon led Alabama with 16 points and five rebounds.
The game was close early, with the Tide only down 21-17 after a Philon layup with 11:46 left in the half. But over the next five minutes, Duke went on a run, outscoring Alabama 14-5 to build a 35-22 lead by the 6:47 mark of the first half. The Blue Devils led 46-37 at halftime.
The Crimson Tide scored first in the second half and got to within 52-46 with 15:38 left in the game, but never got closer than that. Despite Flagg not scoring in the second half until the 7:34 mark, Duke’s many offensive weapons combined with solid defense was enough to dominate the country’s highest-scoring offense and earn Jon Scheyer his first trip to the Final Four as head coach.