Maybe someone will stop Duke before this college basketball season comes to a close at next week’s Final Four.
That time was not Saturday night in its Elite Eight showdown with Alabama.
No. 1 seeded Duke advanced to yet another Final Four with its 85-65 win over No. 2 Alabama at the Prudential Center, sending the Blue Devils to yet another Final Four.
Duke will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Houston and Tennessee in the national semifinal.
Much the way Duke’s win over Arizona in the Sweet 16 game went on Thursday night, Alabama delivered a game and gutsy performance, refusing to be put away by the Blue Devils until the very end.
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But in the end, just like in the Arizona game, Duke was simply better.
Two days after Alabama scored 113 points in its Sweet 16 win over BYU, it was held to 48 fewer by a longer, more talented and deeper Duke team.
The Blue Devils were led by freshman guard Kon Knueppel, who scored 21 points.
Fellow freshman star Cooper Flagg, who’s the certain No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, scored 16 points.
Tyrese Proctor scored 17 and Khaman Maluach scored 14.