Stanford flogged by Flagg: Duke thrashes Stanford men’s basketball 

ACC leaders No. 3 Duke comprehensively beat Stanford men’s basketball on the road Saturday evening. After putting up a courageous fight in the first half and remaining within a respectable distance of the formidable Blue Devils — who hold all five starters projected for selection in the upcoming NBA draft — Stanford lost its way in the second half, ultimately succumbing to its largest defeat of the season, 106-70.

Duke demonstrated all-around quality from the tip-off as they raced to a 6-0 lead on offense, giving the Cardinal no room to maneuver on defense. Stanford responded with its own star prospect, senior forward Maxime Raynaud, who halved the deficit with a three. A minute later, he scored another from beyond the arc before junior guard Oziyah Sellers tied the game with a deep triple. 

Duke moved the ball well, though, with four assists in the first five minutes. The Blue Devils didn’t have a turnover until 17 minutes into the game, whereas Stanford had six in the first half alone. Frustrated by Duke’s perimeter defense, the Cardinal relied on ambitious three-point attempts to claw back into the contest.

Even Raynaud, hot from the perimeter with four first-half three-pointers, uncharacteristically missed from the paint. He did grab a highlight reel play, though, pump-faking from the left corner to deceive Duke’s 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach before driving inside and slamming home. 

The Cardinal had difficulty subduing Duke’s star player, freshman guard Cooper Flagg. Multiple players were tasked with guarding him, from promising redshirt freshman Aidan Cammann to graduate forward Cole Kastner, who surprised many by playing more than eight minutes against his difficult opponent. Ultimately, Stanford couldn’t nullify Flagg, who clocked in the second-most points (19) and joint-most assists (six) in the game. Even when he wasn’t scoring, like when his floater dropped out in the dying embers of the first half, Duke picked up second-chance points with Maluach rebounding and scoring. The first half ended 49-34 in Duke’s favor.  

The second half showed the Blue Devils’ superiority as the deficit became unmanageable for Stanford. Graduate guard Jaylen Blakes delivered a disappointing performance against his former school, picking up his first points of the night with a jumper mid-way through the second period. One bright spark in the was junior guard Bennie Gealer, who scored three three-pointers in the half. 

With two minutes left, Duke surpassed its season-high points tally of 101, adding five more before time expired. The final blow came when freshman Anthony Batson turned the ball over and former Stanford player Neal Begovich finished the fast break with a dunk. 

Stanford will likely not face a tougher opponent this season, with three games left in ACC play to shake off this defeat. Amidst a loud and intimidating crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the team never stopped fighting, but there was a stark gulf in quality underscoring the lengths the team must go to reach the pinnacles of college basketball. For now, though, Stanford will return to Maples next week in the hopes of receiving an invitation to the NCAA tournament in March. The Cardinal will play Cal on Feb. 22 at 7 pm PT. 

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