### BREAKING: Duke Dances Past Arizona 100-93, Punches Ticket to Second Straight Elite Eight – Blue Devils Are Absolutely Rolling
DALLAS – In a game that felt more like a track meet with basketball hoops attached, No. 1 seed Duke survived a late Arizona wildfire and outran the No. 4 Wildcats 100-93 in the South Region semifinal Friday night at American Airlines Center, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year under Jon Scheyer.
The Blue Devils (31-6) will face the winner of tomorrow’s NC State-Marquette game on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. For a program that was supposed to be “rebuilding” after Coach K retired, Duke is now 8-1 in its last nine NCAA Tournament games and looking every bit like the juggernaut everyone expected when Cooper Flagg, the projected 2026 No. 1 pick, walked on campus.
“People keep waiting for us to be young and fall apart,” sophomore point guard Tyrese Proctor said postgame, ice bag on his knee and a grin the size of Tobacco Road. “We just keep showing up.”
### How It Happened: Duke 100, Arizona 93 – The Box Score Will Make Your Eyes Water
– Duke: 100 points on 87 possessions (1.15 PPP)
– Arizona: 93 points on 88 possessions (1.06 PPP)
– Pace: 87.5 – the fastest game either team has played all season
– Combined three-pointers: 29 made (Duke 14, Arizona 15)
– Lead changes: 14
– Biggest lead: Duke by 12 (4:31 2nd half), Arizona by 9 (15:41 2nd half)
This wasn’t a rock fight. This was March Madness on Red Bull.
### Cooper Flagg Does Cooper Flagg Things (Again)
The freshman superstar finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, and only 2 turnovers in 38 minutes. He became the first player in tournament history to post 25-10-5-4 in a Sweet 16 game. Arizona threw everything at him (double teams, face-guarding, prayer) and Flagg still looked like he was playing on rookie difficulty.
With 3:12 left and Duke clinging to a 91-89 lead, Flagg rose over 7-foot Caleb Love and flushed a one-handed tomahawk that somehow got louder than the Arizona-heavy crowd. He then blocked Love’s transition three on the other end, grabbed the board, and threw a 90-foot dime to Proctor for a layup. Ballgame.
“Coop just took over,” Scheyer said. “That’s what the great ones do.”
### Tyrese Proctor: Silent Assassin Drops Career-High 26
While Flagg gets the headlines, Proctor quietly carved up Arizona’s guards like a Thanksgiving turkey. The Australian sophomore went 9-15 from the floor, 6-10 from three, and had zero turnovers against a defense that prides itself on chaos. His corner triple with 1:08 left – after Arizona had cut it to 94-91 – was the dagger.
“People forget Tyrese was a McDonald’s All-American too,” Flagg said, laughing. “He’s just chill. Then he hits six threes and shrugs.”
### Arizona’s Valiant Effort Falls Just Short
Give Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats (29-9) full credit – they shot 15-33 from three, got 27 from Caleb Love (who looked like 2022 Carolina-Killer Love again), 22 from Jaden Bradley, and 19 from K.J. Lewis off the bench. They turned Duke over 14 times and scored 22 fast-break points.
But in the end, they simply couldn’t get enough stops. Duke shot 56% from the floor and 14-27 (51.9%) from three. Arizona needed to play perfect basketball to win this game. They played great. Duke played greater.
“We ran into a buzzsaw,” Lloyd said. “That Flagg kid is as advertised, and their guards were unbelievable tonight. Hats off.”
### By the Numbers – Absurdity Edition
– Duke is the first No. 1 seed to score 100+ in a Sweet 16 game since Villanova in 2018.
– Combined 193 points – highest-scoring Sweet 16 game since 1990.
– Duke has now won 12 straight games when scoring 80+ points.
– Arizona’s 15 made threes are the most ever allowed by a Duke team in an NCAA Tournament win.
### What’s Next: Elite Eight Rematch Potential Looms
If NC State beats Marquette tomorrow, Sunday will be Duke-NC State Part IV – the Wolfpack stunned the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal exactly two weeks ago. If Marquette wins, it’s a fresh matchup against Shaka Smart’s buzzsaw.
Either way, Duke is back in the Elite Eight for the 18th time in program history and the second straight year under Scheyer – who, at 37 years and 179 days old, is now the youngest coach to reach back-to-back Elite Eights since… ever? (Stat nerds are checking.)
### Final Thought
A year ago, people wondered if Duke could survive the post-Krzyzewski era. Tonight, with 18,000 screaming fans watching Cooper Flagg posterize the Pac-12 Player of the Year and Tyrese Proctor raining fire from Raleigh, the answer feels pretty clear.
The Blue Devils are not back.
They never left.
They just reloaded.
Duke 100, Arizona 93.
See you Sunday, America.
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🔥😈 #MarchMadness #DukeInTheElite8
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