Duke head basketball coach Jon Scheyer sends key message after Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel dominate Miami

Duke basketball has eleven straight wins dating back to a November 29 win over Seattle. In their latest outing, Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils took care of Miami with an 89-54 victory.  

Duke is yet to lose in seven ACC matchups. The Blue Devils hold the No. 3 ranking in the nation and a 15-2 record, but their degree of utter dominance is still greater than many realize.

Since the KenPom rankings were first established in the 2002-03 season, only three teams have finished their campaigns with a +36.0 net rating or higher. Duke currently owns a +36.64 mark, second only to an Auburn team the Blue Devils defeated in early December.

While Flagg made his versatile presence felt with 13 points and six assists, he didn’t quite mirror his record-breaking scoring performance against Notre Dame. Instead, it was freshman sharpshooter Kon Knueppel who had the hot hand.

Knueppel poured in 25 points while shooting 9/11 from the field and 6/8 from three. The 19-year-old from Wisconsin set his collegiate career high in points and showed Cameron Indoor Stadium why he is a projected NBA lottery pick.

In his postgame press conference, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer sent a key message on his team’s ability to keep the foot on the gas against an ACC opponent. The Blue Devils had let a 17-point lead shrink to single digits against Notre Dame.

“Doesn’t matter if you’ve won your first six games or lost your first six games,” Scheyer said. “It doesn’t entitle you to anything this game, so you have to earn a big lead. You have to earn separation … We just talked about having a killer instinct, having our foot on the gas. These guys have always responded.”

Duke’s 25 assists stood out as a huge bright spot for Scheyer. The Blue Devils’ constant ball movement fueled a whopping 17 threes on 32 attempts. 

“I think we’ve found out how good we can be when we share it, and I think our guys have fell in love with that and continue to do it,” Scheyer said. “Cooper’s passing was terrific … It’s not just the assists, it’s just making the right basketball play.”

Duke has established an elite rhythm on both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils have a 124.0 offensive rating and 87.3 defensive rating, per the latest KenPom college basketball rankings. Those numbers translate to the league’s No. 4 offense and No. 2 defense.

Duke will visit Boston College on January 18 for another ACC matchup. The Blue Devils will be heavily favored against a team that owns a 1-5 conference record.