In their first Final Four appearance under head coach Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils are facing off against the Houston Cougars. Through 20 minutes, Duke has jumped out to a 34-28 advantage:

Stage is set

The Final Four is college basketball’s biggest stage, both figuratively and literally. With the playing court propped up above the benches and a cavernous Alamodome holding over 60,000 raucous fans, Saturday night’s game was primed for theatrics. Add that to all four No. 1 seeds making it to San Antonio for the first time since 2008, and the nation’s best offense facing the nation’s best defense — the stadium had enough electricity in the air to light Times Square.

It was Houston who drew the first crowd pop, as an offensive rebound found its way to LJ Cryer for a triple on the wing. The Cougars, known for their aggressive nature on the glass, outshot the Blue Devils 9-3 over the game’s first four minutes. On the other end, Duke got into its sets and found the matchups it wanted to exploit, but could not find the bottom of the net on a field goal until 15:57 — a 3-pointer from Kon Knueppel. Fellow rookie Cooper Flagg swished a triple of his own a few possessions later, further greasing the wheels of Duke’s attack.

All gas, no breaks

While neither side came into the contest known for pushing the tempo, both sides were ready for an intermission less than halfway through the first 20. There was no stoppage on the court from 16:09 to 11:51, meaning no subs, no water and no breathers. The Blue Devils were the ones to take advantage, forcing the Cougars into tough shots and taking advantage of fatigue for easy looks against a stout defense. 

First, Flagg was given too much runway to the basket in transition, and the newly-named Wooden Award winner quickly rose to cruising altitude for an emphatic slam. An even easier basket came a few plays later, when Patrick Ngongba II and Knueppel caught Houston sleeping for a nifty backdoor cut. On Houston’s next possession, Ngongba was called for a foul to bring a stoppage of play. Duke had a modest — yet noticeable — 14-8 advantage. 

Freshman duo

As has become typical in the Blue Devils’ postseason play, the offense almost entirely ran through Flagg and Knueppel. Although Flagg missed his first two shots from the field and picked up an early turnover, he was active on the glass and quickly settled into the swing of things. Knueppel was ready on the tip, though, unfettered by the moment at just 19 years old. Off a missed Caleb Foster free throw that was batted in the air by Maliq Brown, the Milwaukee native found the ball in his hands and drove through a crowded paint for a lay-in.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson adjusted his defense as the half wore on, looking to force the ball out of the hands of the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP. For example, Flagg made the right read as he was double-teamed on a fadeaway, dishing the ball to an open Malauch. The 7-foot-2 center brought the ball down, though, giving the Cougars enough time to recover and block the big man’s try. Later, egged on by Foster to be more aggressive, Flagg had the highlight of the half with a physical reverse and-one.

Devils run deep

Because of the game flow, some of Duke’s most impactful contributors were reserves. Scheyer called the number of 10 different Blue Devils, but there was hardly a difference between the first and the 10th.

Foster checked in early and immediately helped solve the Blue Devils’ defensive rebounding problems; his best rebounding play came when he didn’t touch the ball, but boxed out Joseph Tugler so hard he ran into the basket. Ngongba spelled Khaman Maluach and made sure Duke did not miss a beat on either end. Graduate Mason Gillis, a perfect match for Houston’s physicality, drew two fouls on defense while filling in for Flagg. The list goes on.

Part of the reason for Scheyer’s tendency to have a short leash was the unrelenting effort of J’Wan Roberts. The Houston big man hauled in eight rebounds — including four on offense. The most effective defender on Roberts was far and away Brown, who poked the ball away multiple times and was his usual fly-swatting self.

Player of the half: Kon Knueppel

The first big Cougars run of the game when No. 7 was on the bench. The ball was too sticky and the offense settled for a few misses, while Houston finally found the bottom of the net on its tries. When Knueppel checked back in at the 7:40 mark with his time leading by just three, Duke settled back in and responded with an 8-0 run of its own, punctuated with another triple from Knueppel.

While it was certainly an all-around effort from the Blue Devils, Knueppel was the bullet that ripped through the Cougars’ kevlar defense more than anyone else. His 12 points led the team, and Knueppel also chipped in three big rebounds.

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Dom Fenoglio | Sports Managing Editor

Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle’s 120th volume.