Prior to Sunday night’s 76-65 road win over the Louisville Cardinals in a KFC Yum! Center that has been quite friendly to Blue Devil comebacks — play back Zion Williamson & Co.’s sudden bounceback from 23 down late in the 2019 classic showdown — the Blue Devils hadn’t overcome a deficit of 14 points or more in victory since climbing back from 16 points to beat Boston College in January 2021.
ALSO READ: Brandon Ingram Injury Adds to Pelicans’ Duke Product Woes
So, by recovering from a 30-16 Louisville lead with 8:36 left in the first half to the tune of a 60-35 rally the rest of the way, the No. 9-ranked Blue Devils (7-2, 1-0 ACC) recorded the biggest comeback win across the three seasons of Jon Scheyer’s tenure as head coach.
Today’s game at Louisville marks the largest deficit overcome for a Duke win since January 6, 2021 at Boston College (16 points).
Duke trailed 30-16 with 8:36 left in the 1st half.
— #DukeMBBStats (@DukeMBBStats) December 9, 2024
Duke freshman guard/forward Cooper Flagg and junior forward Maliq Brown led a relentless Blue Devil defensive attack that eventually wore down the Cardinals (5-4, 0-1 ACC), who shot 3-for-15 from three in the second half after knocking down half of their 16 attempts before the break.
And Scheyer’s bunch made up for its 8-for-30 clip beyond the arc across both halves by outscoring Louisville in the paint, 34-14, and in transition, 12-3.
Flagg tallied a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, adding one assist, two steals, and one block before fouling out with under a minute to play and the Duke basketball victory well in hand.
Brown scored only six points in his 29 minutes off the bench. However, he shot 3-for-3 from the field, and each of his makes was of the momentum-building variety in the second half as the Blue Devils posted a 24-6 run in just over six minutes of action to take a 68-57 lead at 5:42 mark. He also delivered 11 rebounds, one assist, one block, and a game-high three steals.
The Blue Devils now head back to Durham for a home bout against the Incarnate Word Cardinals (5-4, 1-1 Southland) at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network).
ALSO READ: Future Duke Twins Defeat UNC Signee’s Squad in Triple OT
Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.
