Two of college basketball's top programs will meet Friday night at McKale Center in one of the most anticipated games of the nonconference season.
The Blue Devils (3-1) have a stacked roster that includes freshman Cooper Flagg, projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the next NBA draft.
The Wildcats (2-1) are also loaded, led by preseason All-American Caleb Love, who knows a thing or two about Duke after playing three seasons at North Carolina.
Flagg has been as advertised, averaging 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds. Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel has played well, including a 22-point game against Maine in the season opener, and the Blue Devils still have Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster on their roster.
Duke blew through three of its first four games, but fell short in a 77-72 loss to No. 9 Kentucky in Atlanta last week. The Blue Devils bounced back with an 85-35 trouncing of Wofford on Saturday.
“I’m proud of our team,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “It was a tough loss on Tuesday and I’m proud of their character and the way they responded today – I’m really proud of how we shared the ball and that’s part of having a special group.”
Arizona also is trying to rebound from a tough loss.
The Wildcats cruised through their first two games before running into a buzzsaw at No. 19 Wisconsin. Arizona never led, gave up 12 3-pointers and allowed John Tonje to score 41 points in the 103-88 loss.
“We’re going be a good team. I’m not worried about that,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “This was just a great opportunity on the road to challenge ourselves.”
The Wildcats get another big one on Friday, this one at home. They'll get another shot at Duke next season, too, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
