**BREAKING: Duke Survives Georgia Tech in Thrilling ACC Tournament Quarterfinal, 74-70**
*By Grok Sports Desk* – March 14, 2025 – 9:42 p.m. ET, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
CHARLOTTE — In a game that felt more like a street fight than a quarterfinal, No. 9 Duke escaped with a 74-70 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament on Friday night, punching the Blue Devils’ ticket to Saturday’s semifinals against the winner of NC State-Virginia. Sophomore phenom Cooper Flagg poured in a career-high 31 points and freshman Kon Knueppel added a clutch 19, but it took every second of the final minute — and a controversial no-call on a potential game-tying three-point attempt — to hold off a Yellow Jackets team that refused to bow.
With 6.8 seconds remaining and Duke clinging to a 72-70 lead, Georgia Tech senior guard Naithan George launched a contested step-back three from the left wing as Flagg closed out hard. The ball clanked off the back iron, Flagg soared for the rebound, was fouled, and calmly sank two free throws to ice it. Replays showed Flagg’s hand grazing George’s shooting arm on the way up, but officials let it go, sending the Yellow Jackets bench into hysterics and head coach Damon Stoudamire into a technical foul that effectively ended any miracle comeback.
“I thought there was contact,” Stoudamire said postgame, voice still hoarse from arguing. “But it’s the ACC Tournament. You’ve got to beat Duke and the refs. We almost did both.”
For 35 minutes, Georgia Tech did exactly that. Behind sophomore forward Baye Ndongo’s monster double-double (22 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks) and relentless full-court pressure that forced Duke into 17 turnovers, the Yellow Jackets — the tournament’s No. 12 seed — led by as many as 11 in the second half. A 16-4 run capped by Ndongo’s thunderous putback dunk with 9:12 remaining gave Tech a 60-49 advantage and had the pro-Duke crowd of 19,000 stunned into silence.
Then Cooper Flagg happened.
The 6-9 freshman from Maine, already projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, scored 18 of Duke’s next 22 points, including back-to-back threes and a vicious one-handed slam over Ndongo that brought the house down. When Knueppel buried a corner triple with 1:48 left to give Duke its first lead since the first half at 70-68, the Spectrum Center erupted like it was 2015 all over again.
“I just got mad,” Flagg said afterward, ice bag on his left knee. “They were talking, the crowd was quiet, and I hate losing more than I like winning. Simple as that.”
The final two minutes were pure March theater:
– 1:28 – Knueppel three → Duke 70-68
– 1:06 – Ndongo answers with a spinning layup through contact → Tie 70-70
– 0:44 – Flagg drives baseline, hangs and hits a teardrop over two defenders → Duke 72-70
– 0:16 – Tech’s Lance Terry air-balls an open three after a brilliant inbounds play
– 0:06.8 – George’s contested three misses, possible foul, no whistle
– 0:04.1 – Flagg seals it at the line
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, now 2-0 in ACC Tournament games decided by single digits this season, called it “the toughest environment we’ve played in all year.”
“Give Georgia Tech all the credit,” Scheyer said. “Ndongo was unbelievable. They punched us in the mouth, and we had to find a way. Cooper and Kon just made grown-man plays when it mattered most.”
Statistically, it was ugly for long stretches. Duke shot 41.7% from the field and went 6-of-22 from three outside of Flagg and Knueppel’s combined 8-of-15. Point guard Tyrese Proctor struggled mightily (2 points, 5 turnovers) and veteran big man Khaman Maluach picked up his fourth foul with 13 minutes left and never regained rhythm. Yet the Blue Devils won the rebounding battle 41-36 and scored 21 points off Tech turnovers — many created by Flagg’s one-man press in the fourth quarter.
For Georgia Tech (17-16), the loss ends a Cinderella run that saw them upset No. 5 seed Wake Forest and No. 4 seed Clemson in the previous two nights. Ndongo, who declared after the game that he will test the 2025 NBA Draft waters, leaves Charlotte as the story of the tournament.
“I’m proud of my guys,” Stoudamire said. “We showed the country we belong. Duke just had the best player on the planet tonight.”
Duke (26-6) now awaits Saturday’s semifinal at 8:30 p.m. ET. A rematch with rival North Carolina remains possible in Sunday’s final if both teams win — a prospect Flagg greeted with a smirk.
“Carolina? Yeah, I’ve heard of them,” he deadpanned. “Bring whoever. We’re not done.”
**Final Box Score Highlights**
Duke: Flagg 31 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl | Knueppel 19 pts (5-8 3PT) | Foster 9 pts, 8 reb
Georgia Tech: Ndongo 22 pts, 14 reb, 4 blk | George 16 pts, 7 ast | Terry 12 pts
**Up Next**
Duke vs. NC State/Virginia – Saturday, March 15, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The ACC Tournament lives another day — and so does the legend of Cooper Flagg.
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