CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — It wasn’t a surprise that a Duke freshman was named the Most Valuable Player of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday night.
What may have been surprising is that he wasn’t named Cooper Flagg.
Kon Knueppel, take a bow.
With Flagg out for most of the ACC Tournament with a sprained ankle, the 6-foot-7 Knueppel showed that he’s more than capable of carrying the load for the top-ranked Blue Devils, who beat No. 13 Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night to win their second championship in three seasons under coach Jon Scheyer.
The consistent Knueppel averaged 21 points on 48.7% shooting to go along with 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists over three games to earn tournament MVP honors, a step up from his season averages of 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
So while the multi-talented Flagg has grabbed most of the national headlines, Duke’s opponents in the upcoming NCAA Tournament had best not sleep on the fellow true freshman from the Milwaukee area.
“He’s so solid and made so many winning plays,” Scheyer said.
Knueppel had 28 points in Duke’s quarterfinal win over Goergia Tech, a game where Flagg left in the first half after stepping on an opponent’s foot.
He never let up from there.
“I didn’t really feel like I tried to turn it up a notch,” Knueppel said of Flagg’s absence. “I was trying to make the right play. With Cooper being out I knew some of the burden, especially the minutes and having to play a lot more. So I was just trying to be sharp. Nothing spectacular. Nothing crazy.”
Knueppel is considered one of Duke’s top marksmen, shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc.
But on a night when his 3 wasn’t falling — he was 0 for 5 — he found other ways to hurt Louisville, scoring on drives and finishing at the basket through traffic. He got to the foul line six times and made them all.
Knueppel’s success in the tournament didn’t surprise Scheyer, who fell in love with his game after seeing him compete at an NBA camp. It’s a different environment than high school games or even AAU tournaments, where players are forced to use their individual skills.
“I saw his ability to create shots for himself, and then I saw his ability to guard,” Scheyer said. “And then, more importantly, I saw what a competitor he was. I left there and I was like, ‘He belongs at Duke.’ Our staff from that point on was all out to get him to come to Duke.”
Then Scheyer smiled and said, “I’m sure glad he chose Duke.”
Flagg will be back for the NCAA Tournament.
But if nothing else, the ACC Tournament proved the Blue Devils are more than just the Cooper Flagg show. They have a team full of talent, a deep bench and players committed to defense.
And that is a daunting reality that opposing teams will have to contend with as Duke, which almost certainly be the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, looks to run the table over the next few weeks and win a sixth national championship.
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