Duke vs. UNC: Player grades from lopsided win as Cooper Flagg erupts, RJ Davis disappears

No. 2 Duke did not give rival North Carolina a single chance to feel like it was in Saturday’s 87-70 romp. Duke led 23-6 before you could blink and was never threatened. The Blue Devils led by 32 in the second half before Carolina made a big run … just to bring it to the mid-teens. 

Here are the grades for every player who was on the floor for more than five minutes.

Let’s start with the winners.

Duke Blue Devils

Cooper Flagg, F

Player Grade: 5 stars

UNC made the somewhat curious decision to start its four-guard lineup instead of inserting five-star wing Drake Powell, who undoubtedly had the best chance to slow down Flagg one-on-one. The Duke freshman phenom made North Carolina pay for its sins. Before Powell had a chance to check into the game, Flagg had already generated 15 total points with a pair of 3s and four dimes.

Flagg was brilliant, totaling 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and three steals. Whenever UNC tried to go after him one-on-one, Flagg swallowed ’em up, and his decision-making was on-point throughout his 38-minute stint. When UNC doubled, Flagg quickly found open shooters. When UNC went zone, Flagg picked it apart from the high post. He could’ve easily had a triple-double.

Flagg’s case for the National Player of the Year rolls on.

Tyrese Proctor, G

Player Grade: 5 stars

Proctor put his two-game shooting slump on the back-burner in a hurry. The 6-foot-6 junior guard drained two 3-pointers and finished with an efficient 17 points on just 10 shots to go along with three assists and two rebounds and a turnover. Proctor has quietly turned into one of the most important players on this team because of his ability to toggle between an on- or off-ball role. Plus, he was outstanding defensively for long stretches. UNC’ RJ Davis could never get humming, and Proctor was a reason why.

Kon Knueppel, G

Player Grade: 5 stars

Knueppel smelled blood in the water against this undersized UNC backcourt. Knueppel had one of his best all-around games of the season. Defensively, he was up to the challenge whether he was chasing speedy guards on the perimeter, or when he got switched onto one of UNC’s bigs. Knueppel’s defense has been a pleasant surprise this season. He is an asset on that end.

Oh, and he’s a bucket. The freshman wing totaled 22 points on just 11 shots. Knueppel snuffed any hope of a UNC revival to start the second half in the first minute with a rim-rocking dunk and his second trey of the night. 

Khaman Maluach, C

Player Grade: 4.5 stars

Maluach’s energy was outstanding from the jump. The 7-foot-2 center had four back-breaking offensive rebounds in the first 11-plus minutes of regulation. Those second-chance opportunities were just killers for an already undermanned UNC defense. North Carolina tried to use Davis to isolate against Maluach multiple times. Duke’s big fella held up well against UNC’s preseason All-American. Maluach was a couple missed bunnies away from having a five-star night like his freshmen compadres.

Sion James, G

Player Grade: 5 stars

James showed why he is one of the elite role players in college basketball. The veteran guard had 13 points and three assists with just one turnover. Duke outscored UNC by 26 points during James’ 32 minutes. James is just so smart. He attacks long closeouts and moves the rock smartly to create advantages. He remains an integral part of Duke’s transition defense. UNC rarely got a good look when James was on the floor. James smartly kept everyone in front of him and coaxed contested jumpers left and right. On first glance, James didn’t look like he blew one switch all night. 

Isaiah Evans, F

Player Grade: 3 stars

Evans is unafraid. The sleek freshman wing had a turnover and tried to make up for it with a rushed trey that was way off, but he made up for it with a catch-and-shoot trey in the second half to make UNC pay for doubling Flagg and leaving a deadeye unattended in the weakside corner.

Maliq Brown, F

Player Grade: 5 stars

Getting Brown back is a big deal for this Duke club on both ends. Brown was exceptional switching everything. As usual, Brown was a deflection machine, ripping away two steals. But Brown also operates as a five-out hub for Duke’s offense which helps it look a little different when Maluach is not on the floor. He had a nifty backdoor pass to Proctor for a bucket. Brown played like one of the elite backup centers in the sport.

Mason Gillis, F

Player Grade: 3.5 stars

Gillis splashed his lone 3-point attempt, and he stepped into the right gap at the right time to rip Drake Powell for a timely steal. The veteran Purdue transfer did have four fouls in seven minutes, but overall, he was steady in his seven minutes.

Caleb Foster, G

Player Grade: 1 star

Foster did not do much in his seven minutes of action. Foster did not score and ripped down one rebound. One pregame concern centered around if Foster was laterally quick enough to hang with UNC’s guards. Scheyer didn’t let that happen. 

North Carolina Tar Heels

RJ Davis, G

Player Grade: 2 stars

North Carolina needed a special night from Davis, but he could not oblige against this enormous Duke defense. Davis’ final line was OK. He had 12 points on 11 attempts, including a couple deep treys. But he didn’t take a shot until UNC was already in an 18-6 hole. He didn’t score until UNC was down 27 with less than five minutes to go. The game was over before Davis put his fingerprint on it.

He sat the final 7:33 of regulation.

Elliot Cadeau, G

Player Grade: 1 star

A late 3-pointer buffed up Cadeau’s stat line a little bit, but, like almost everyone else, it was not his night. The UNC sophomore’s wiggle was able to crease Duke’s defense at times, but he had almost no chance of finishing over the length and athleticism on Duke’s front line. Cadeau’s decision-making continued to be feast or famine. He had three frustrating turnovers before the first media timeout because Duke was more than ready for his one-handed passes.

Cadeau played hard and showed some fight with a pair of offensive rebounds and some nifty dimes, but UNC needs him to be steadier. Cadeau finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and five turnovers. 

Seth Trimble, G

Player Grade: 3 stars

Trimble had the early opportunity to try and slow down Flagg. That, predictably, did not go well. Trimble stayed active and garnered 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. He got cooking a little bit in the second half with some timely drives and floaters. But UNC needed to make 3s to hold serve with Duke’s avalanche of shots at the rim, and Trimble could not convert some good looks.

Since he returned from injury, Trimble is shooting just 2 for 21 from downtown in the last eight games combined.

Ian Jackson, G

Player Grade: 1 star

Jackson had a four-point play early in the second half but that was the lone bright spot for the five-star freshman. Jackson could not get anything going in isolation, and Duke basically took him out of the game from the jump. He had just two shot attempts in the first 18 minutes of regulation. That just can’t happen to a guy who has been UNC’s best player on multiple occasions. 

Ven-Allen Lubin, F

Player Grade: 4 stars

Lubin sacrificed some serious height to Duke’s Twin Towers frontcourt, but he was unafraid. The Notre Dame transfer was all over the offensive glass. He had five offensive rebounds, seven points, three blocks and a steal. He could not make Duke pay for switching a wing onto him, but he gave Duke some issues in the ball-screen game.

Overall, UNC will take nights like that from Lubin all day, every day. 

Drake Powell, F

Player Grade: 3 stars

Powell got it going in the second half with 12 points, and he had some moments with his one-on-one defense on Flagg. Powell deflected one of Flagg’s passes and immediately found Seth Trimble for a transition bucket. Hindsight is 20/20, but Powell probably should have played more in the first half because when he sat, UNC had to send a double-team at Flagg which got shredded. 

But Powell also sat for almost the entire final six minutes of the first half after committing a pair of frustrating turnovers. He looked uncomfortable and out of sync in the first half, but he was fearless and ready to go in the second half.

Jalen Washington, F

Player Grade: 3 stars

Washington had six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes in his first game back after battling a nagging knee injury. With Duke switching everything, it would’ve been a much-needed help if Washington could’ve created some of his own offense against some of Duke’s smaller defenders, but that’s just not his game right now. 

Jae’lyn Withers, F

Player Grade: 2 stars

Withers drained a trey and had a nifty drive for a bucket late in the second half, but there were still a few frustrating decisions during his 12 minutes of playing time. Withers tried to attack Flagg one-on-one. Flagg was having none of it. UNC did start to get a few stops when Withers was on the floor, but the game was so out of hand midway through the second half that it’s hard to put a ton of stock into it.

Cade Tyson, F

Player Grade: 1 star

Tyson had an open corner 3, and it went off the top of the backboard. That sums up the season for the Belmont transfer.