SAN ANTONIO – I want to start my scout by saying WOW! It’s pretty-darn cool to be doing a Final Four scouting report! Now on to business. The 35-3 (#2 overall seed) Duke Blue Devils will face the 34-4 (#3 overall seed) Houston Cougars tonight at the Alamodome for a chance to play in the national championship game.

The Blue Devils have an incredibly talented young roster. Of the ten rotation guys that head coach Jon Scheyer puts on the court, only one played against Houston in the Sweet 16 last season (#5 Tyrese Proctor). Sion James (#14) played against Houston when he was at Tulane. I believe the intense Houston defense and toughness will shock Duke. They’ve watched it on film for five days, but that does not prepare you for UH’s relentlessness.

Duke has one of the more prolific scoring offenses in college hoops, averaging 83.7 points per game (92 ppg in the Tournament). Duke has played just three games in the 60s all season (all wins), the last being on January 25th, the day Houston won at Allen Fieldhouse. Meanwhile, Houston has the top-scoring defense in the nation, holding teams to an average of only 58.3 points per game. In Houston’s 17-game win streak, opponents have averaged 60.4 ppg – only Colorado (Big 12 Tournament) and Gonzaga have scored more than 65 against the Coogs. Something has to give!

The Blue Devils are led by the no doubt about it “head of the snake” freshman superstar Cooper Flagg (#2). The goal should be to keep the three-level scorer and soon-to-be #1 pick in the NBA Draft under 20 points. In their loss to Clemson, Flagg had 18 points on 6/17 shooting, while fellow freshman Kon Knueppel (#7) had 14 and Proctor had 23 points. But after their big three, the rest of the team combined for 16 points. The key should be to keep their stars at 20 points or less and to shut down the role players.

Duke has a highly talented roster. In the upcoming NBA Draft, they are projected to have two lottery picks, four total first-round picks, and seven total players drafted. But talent and all, they have not faced a team as tough as Houston since they edged out a win against Auburn on December 4th. Houston must pop them in the mouth at the start of the game and never look back.

Duke Offense Notes

• Duke is a great cutting team. They will try to catch you napping and back-door cut to the rim.
• Houston will have to communicate at a high level on defense. Duke sets a ton of “off-ball” screens to get their shooters open. They love to set back-screens and flare-screens that, if the defense isn’t communicating, will get them wide-open shots.
• The Coogs must try to run Duke off the three-point line. They shoot 39% as a team from beyond the arc. Although they can make them, Houston should try to force Duke into taking contested two-point shots off the dribble.
• They run that fake hand-off into a drop pass JoJo and LJ often run. They run it with Maluach and Proctor. If both defenders go with Proctor, he’s looking for Maluach rolling to the basket for an alley-oop.

Blue Devils Defense Notes

• They primarily play HC M2M Defense.
• Duke may try a 1-2-2 HC Zone Defense. They like to run it when Maliq Brown checks in, and they put him at the top of the zone. Houston should look to attack gaps and kick out for quick three-point opportunities.
• Duke tends to switch all ball-screens due to their elite size and athleticism. Most of their guys can guard 1-5. You can pretend to set a screen and slip to the basket instead against them.
• Sometimes Muluach struggles defending quick guards. I would get him switched onto Milos. Then I’d put whoever Knueppel is guarding (LJ or Eman) on the left wing and drive and kick to them. Knueppel tends to over-help and is slow to recover to his man. They should have a wide-open three.
• Sometimes, they will BLITZ the ball screens, rather than switching.
• Guards that can score in the paint or mid-range can give them some issues. I’d look for Milos, Emanuel, Terrance, and Mylik to score off the dribble pull-up.
• I don’t foresee a lot of Houston post-ups happening in this one. Duke likes to play in front of the post players, and it will be difficult to pass it into them against Duke’s length. There will have to be more pick and roll actions with J’Wan, JoJo, and Ja’Vier catching on the move to score.

Duke Personnel

*#2 – Cooper Flagg – 6’9″ – FR – Guard/Forward – 19ppg, 8rpg, 4apg.

• Tall/athletic three-level scoring guard/forward;
• Projected #1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft;
• Really good three-point shooter; 49/131 (37%);
• Phenomenal finishing with either hand at the rim;
• Great at the pull-up jumper from the elbows;
• Explosive in the paint;
• Excellent rebounder and shot blocker;
• Great instincts. Great off-ball defender.

*#7 – Kon Knueppel – 6’7″ – FR – Guard/Forward – 14ppg, 4rpg.

• Duke fans sometimes refer to him as Robin, making Flagg Batman;
• Tall three-level scoring guard/forward;
• Projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft;
• Outstanding three-point shooter – 81/202 (40%);
• Really good at getting to the rim. Likes to shot-fake and draw fouls in the paint;
• Gets a little loose with his dribble sometimes. Pressure him.

*#9 – Khaman Maluach – 7’2″ – FR – Center – 9ppg, 7rpg.

• Huge center (Prounounced kah-mahn mahl-oo-ahch)
• Projected first round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft;
• Extremely tall with long wing-span – he’s an excellent rebounder on both ends and shot-blocker;
• Not a GREAT back to the basket scorer. Gets most of his points rolling to the rim or off of offensive rebounding second chances;
• Not a major outside shooting threat – 4/16 (25%).

*#5 – Tyrese Proctor – 6’6″ – JR – Guard – 12ppg, 3rpg.

• Tall explosive guard;
• Project 2nd round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft;
• Great three-point shooter that leads the team in 3pt attempts – 89/216 (41%);
• Really good at scoring in the paint;
• Aggressive defender. Reaches a lot to poke the ball away and often gets away with it;

*#14 – Sion James – 6’6″ – GR – Guard – (Tulane) – 9ppg, 4rpg.

• Tall/strong/smart point guard;
• Projected 2nd round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft;
• Very good at scoring in transition. He’s not going to stop driving until you make him;
• Outstanding at getting in the paint to score or distribute to teammates;
• Will try to post up a smaller guard at times;
• Great three-point shooter, but doesn’t shoot as many as others – 30/72 (42%).

#3 – Isaiah Evans – 6’6″ – FR – Guard/Forward – 7ppg, 1rpg.

• Long/athletic/rangy guard-forward off the bench;
• Extremely long wing-span;
• Another outstanding three-point shooter – 62/149 (42%);
• WATCH: Will kick his leg out when shooting the three “Texas Tech Style”.

#1 – Caleb Foster – 6’5″ – SO – Guard – 5ppg, 2rpg.

• Former high school teammate of UH guard Mercy Miller;
• Tall/back-up point guard;
• Very strong finisher in the paint;
• Average three-point shooter – 25/73 (34%);

#18 – Mason Gillis – 6’6″ – GR – Forward – (Purdue) – 4ppg, 3rpg.

• Played major minutes on Purdue’s Final 4 run last season. Tall/stocky forward;
• Typical “Three and D” corner shooter – 33/96 (34%);

#21 – Patrick Ngongba Jr. – 6’11” – FR – Center – 4ppg, 3rpg.

• Extremely long/athletic forward off the bench;
• Loves the hook shot over his left shoulder;
• Moves a little slower than Maluach.

#6 – Maliq Brown – 6’9″ – JR – Forward – (Syracuse) – 3ppg, 4rpg.

• Tall/athletic forward. Glue guy;
• Does the dirty work. Hits the boards hard;
• Capable outside shooter, but doesn’t shoot many – 4/12 (33%);
• Has been limited by injury in recent weeks.

Keys to Victory

1. Limit turnovers. Duke wants to RUN in transition and score easy baskets. Houston must not turn the ball over and allow them to get easy buckets.
2. Be SUPER physical…without fouling. This one needs to be MEN against boys. Duke hasn’t seen a team as physical as Houston this year. The Coogs must be extremely physical with them, sending a message early. Give up nothing easily inside, and no easy rebounds. But they must do it without fouling. UH needs their big men throughout the game.
3. Paint touches on offense. There will not be many post-up opportunities for J’Wan in this one. The Cougar guards must get downhill and absorb the help-side defense to open up three-point shooting opportunities. If the defense doesn’t collapse to help in the paint, the Duke length is too effective at contesting outside shots.
4. Game of Runs…Keep it close. We all know by now that basketball is a game of runs, especially in the Tournament. Duke has not been in many close games this year, and has rarely played at UH’s pace. The Coogs need to keep it close and then finish.
5. Win EVERY hustle play. The Coogs have to win every single one. They must crash the boards and create extra dagger-three opportunities. They must be the first ones on the floor for a loose ball. Do whatever it takes.