March Madness 2025: No. 1 Duke cruises past No. 9 Baylor thanks to late first-half flurry
Duke didn’t have much issue making it to the Sweet 16.
The No. 1 Blue Devils ended the first half on a 12-0 run on the way to an easy 89-66 win over No. 9 Baylor in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.
Baylor cut Duke’s lead to 35-30 with 3:07 to go on a 3-pointer from Jalen Celestine. After that, Duke made sure to make the Bears believe they didn’t have much of a shot the rest of the way.
Potential No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg had eight of Duke’s 12 points to close the half including this alley-oop with less than a minute to go:
COOPER FLAGG FINISHES THE LOB 🤯#MarchMadness@DukeMBBpic.twitter.com/5Tp4UdNAkX
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025
The dunk was an exclamation point on the half as Duke took a 47-30 lead into halftime. The Blue Devils simply maintained their advantage throughout the second half as Baylor never cut the lead to single digits thanks to the continued excellence of Tyrese Proctor.
Proctor had his best game of the season on Sunday with 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Proctor was 7-of-8 from behind the arc after he had 19 points and was 6-of-8 from the 3-point line in Duke's opening-round win over Mount St. Mary's.
With the help of Proctor's hot night, Duke shot over 64% from the field and had the best offensive performance of the tournament in nearly a decade.
Duke scored 1.50 points per possession today vs Baylor, the highest PPP posted by any team in an NCAA Tournament game since the 2016 National Semifinals, when Villanova scored 1.52 PPP in a 95-51 win over Oklahoma.
— Jared Berson (@JaredBerson) March 23, 2025
Flagg, who finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists, was in the game at the finish of the first half despite having two fouls. He picked up a cheap foul early in the game and got his second with just under seven minutes to go before the break. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer removed Flagg from the game, but unlike other coaches, didn't want his star on the bench for the rest of the half.
Flagg returned to the game just two minutes later and Scheyer's comfort playing him with two fouls was rewarded. More and more coaches have started playing players with two fouls for longer periods in the first half, but Scheyer's decision was still a stark contrast to the way that Rick Pitino managed his players' foul trouble in St. John's upset loss to Arkansas on Saturday. Both Kadary Richmond and Simeon Wilcher picked up two fouls in the first half and played a combined 11 minutes.
It’s the second straight Sweet 16 appearance for Duke after the Blue Devils lost in the second round as a No. 5 seed in Scheyer’s first season in 2023. A year ago, Duke made the Elite Eight as a No. 4 seed before losing to ACC rival NC State.
This year, Duke is the favorite to win it all for good reason. Especially if Proctor continues to play the way he is.
Topics
-
Proctor, Flagg help No. 1 seed Duke roll past Baylor 89-66 to reach Sweet 16 of March Madness
Tyrese Proctor made seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points to continue his recent tear, helping No. 1 seed Duke beat Baylor 89-66 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Freshman star ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Tyrese Proctor, Duke basketball bury Baylor in March Madness, advance to NCAA Sweet 16
Tyrese Proctor powered Duke basketball past Baylor in the March Madness bracket. The Blue Devils are in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Duke's Tyrese Proctor was wrestling with his 3-point shot before March Madness. Now he can't miss
Duke guard Tyrese Proctor has made 13 of 16 3-pointers through two games of the NCAA TournamentABC News - 2h -
Duke vs Baylor prediction, picks for 2025 men's NCAA Tournament
March Madness Round 2 includes No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 Baylor. Here are expert picks, predictions and how to watch Duke vs Baylor.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
March Madness 2025: No. 9 Creighton blitzes No. 8 Louisville in first half on the way to an easy win
The Blue Jays led by 15 at halftime and cruised in the second half.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Duke's Tyrese Proctor was wrestling with his 3-point shot before March Madness. Now he can't miss
It wasn't that long ago that Tyrese Proctor was struggling to make much of anything outside the arc. The junior guard has been on an absolute tear with his outside shot, hitting at least six ...Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Duke rolls through Baylor and into Sweet 16
The No. 1-seed Blue Devils took control of a second-round game with two big runs before halftime and closed out 9-seed Baylor, 89-66, to advance in the NCAA tournament. Duke (33-3) will face the ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Proctor, Knueppel carry No. 1 Duke past No. 13 Louisville 73-62 for 2nd ACC title in 3 years
Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference ...ABC News - Mar. 15 -
Tyrese Proctor finally is having his moment and he might carry Duke to March Madness glory
Tyrese Proctor is a rarity. A standout recruit that has stayed three years at Duke. He playing his best ball of his career at the right time.Yahoo Sports - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Aaliyah Chavez, No. 1-ranked women's college basketball recruit, commits to Oklahoma
Aaliyah Chavez, the top ranked women's college basketball player in the nation, announced her college commitment Tuesday on ESPN's "SportsCenter."Yahoo Sports - 14m -
Nigeria's World Cup qualification hopes dealt huge blow in last-gasp 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa scored in the final minute to deal a major blow to Nigeria’s World Cup qualification prospects in a 1-1 draw between the teams Tuesday. Nigeria star Victor Osimhen ...Yahoo Sports - 14m -
Agent Jorge Mendes alerts Barcelona to potential €20m income
Barcelona look to have centred their finances on ensuring that they can hang onto their best players in the coming years rather than spending big in the next summer or two. However every sale they ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Look: Rams GM Les Snead chatting with QB Arch Manning at Texas pro day
Rams GM Les Snead was spotted chatting with Arch Manning, the top QB in the 2026 draft class, at Texas' pro dayYahoo Sports - 17m -
Auburn reveals new spring football game format
Auburn appears to be following the latest trend of altering their traditional spring game format.Yahoo Sports - 18m
More in Sports
-
'Gotta carry it like a battle scar': Can Yankees bounce back from fifth-inning World Series nightmare?
Starting with their historic Game 5 meltdown, the road to Opening Day in the Bronx has been a rough one.ESPN - 10m -
Sources: Torn ACL ends USC star Watkins' season
USC star JuJu Watkins will miss the remainder of the women's NCAA tournament after suffering a season-ending ACL tear during the Trojans' second-round game Monday night.ESPN - 10m -
Fudd chooses another year at UConn over draft
UConn guard Azzi Fudd, a first-team All-Big East selection this season, has decided to return for another season with the Huskies, passing on her option to declare for the WNBA draft.ESPN - 10m -
First Four's St. Francis moving to D-III in 2026
Citing changes in the national landscape, and a week after a First Four loss in the NCAA tournament, Saint Francis (PA) announced a move to Division III in 2026.ESPN - 10m -
Stanford 'needs a reset,' fires football HC Taylor
Stanford has fired football coach Troy Taylor amid allegations he mistreated staff members during his two years with the Cardinal.ESPN - 10m