One of the advantages of being a program like Duke is having players of Knueppel’s caliber to step up in the absence of the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

While Duke holds its breath after Cooper Flagg's ankle sprain, Kon Knueppel's performance in the ACC quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech showed that the Blue Devils would still be plenty dangerous in the NCAA Tournament even without their best player.

Duke lost Cooper Flagg to a left ankle injury in the first half, then rallied behind freshman Kon Knueppel to defeat Georgia Tech, 78-70, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday. Knueppel scored a career-high 28 points with eight assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes to power Duke to a 29th win,