The 2024–25 Duke Blue Devils were a team built on expectation, molded by legacy, and propelled by a hunger that radiated from the very first tip-off to the final buzzer of the season. Under head coach Jon Scheyer, in just his third year at the helm, the Blue Devils not only reclaimed their perch as one of the nation’s premier programs but did so with a flair for the dramatic, with moments so unforgettable that they etched themselves into the fabric of Duke basketball history. From rim-rattling dunks to game-winning daggers, selfless hustle plays to dominant defensive stands, the season was a crescendo of iconic moments that will be remembered long after the nets were cut and the confetti had fallen. These are the plays that defined the 2024–25 Duke basketball season—each a chapter in a storybook campaign that captured the imagination of Cameron Indoor faithful and college basketball fans alike.
It started in early November, when Duke hosted Kansas in the Champions Classic. The anticipation was electric. Cooper Flagg, the most hyped freshman since Zion Williamson, stepped onto the national stage with expectations already bordering on myth. In the final minute of a tight game, with the score tied at 72, Flagg snatched a defensive rebound over two Jayhawk big men, sprinted coast-to-coast, and delivered a vicious two-handed slam while drawing a foul. The “and-one” free throw sealed the win, but it was the way Flagg screamed into the crowd, veins bulging and sweat pouring, that made the moment iconic. Duke was back. Flagg was for real. The rest of the country had no choice but to watch.
A few weeks later, it was Tyrese Proctor’s turn to deliver magic. In a hostile road environment at Michigan State, with Duke trailing by two and under 10 seconds to play, Proctor calmly dribbled to the top of the arc, crossed over twice, and launched a step-back three over the outstretched hand of a defender. Swish. The silence of the Breslin Center was deafening. Proctor had ice in his veins and showed the evolution of a player who had grown into one of the most dependable guards in the country. That shot didn’t just win the game—it announced that Duke had multiple closers, not just one.
As the ACC schedule began, the rivalry matchups intensified, but no moment was bigger than the first showdown against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. It was a war of attrition, with both teams trading blows like heavyweights in a prize fight. With 15 seconds left and Duke down one, Jared McCain, the sophomore sharpshooter known for his TikTok stardom and microwave scoring ability, curled off a double screen and buried a deep three from the right wing. It was pure. The crowd gasped. Duke’s bench exploded. The Heels scrambled on their final possession, but Flagg swatted the last-second floater attempt into the stands. Game over. McCain pointed to the floor and mouthed “this is my house” as he walked off the court—pure Duke arrogance and confidence wrapped into one perfect moment.
But it wasn’t just the stars who shined this season. Freshman big man Khaman Maluach, the 7-foot-2 defensive force from South Sudan, delivered one of the most jaw-dropping plays of the year in a home win over Virginia. After hedging on a ball screen, Maluach sprinted back into the paint and met a Cavalier forward at the rim with a soul-snatching block that sent the ball flying into the front row. The crowd erupted. The bench went wild. It was the type of play that changed the trajectory of a game and underscored Duke’s defensive identity. It wasn’t just offense that defined this team—it was grit, rotations, contests, and rotations again.
Midway through the season, Duke faced adversity. A shocking loss at Virginia Tech was followed by a tough road game at NC State. In that game, Duke trailed by nine with four minutes to play. It felt like the season was teetering. But then came the Flagg sequence—the kind of stretch that only the all-time greats deliver. First, a three-pointer in transition. Then, a chasedown block off the backboard. Then, a fadeaway from the short corner. And finally, with the game tied and under 30 seconds to go, Flagg took his man off the dribble, drew the help defender, and dropped a no-look dime to Sean Stewart for the go-ahead dunk. Duke would go on to win by five, and the narrative flipped once more: Flagg wasn’t just a scorer. He was a playmaker. A leader. A generational talent embracing the moment.
No recap of the 2024–25 season would be complete without mentioning the buzzer-beater against Syracuse. Duke had battled back from a 14-point second-half deficit. With 2.3 seconds left and the game tied, the inbounds play went to McCain near the sideline. He pump-faked, took one dribble, and let it fly off one foot from 30 feet. Nothing but net. The bench stormed the court. Scheyer threw his arms skyward. It was bedlam in Durham. That shot became a staple of highlight reels across the country for weeks and served as a metaphor for the team’s resilience—they never stopped believing.
Then came the ACC Tournament, a proving ground where legends are made. In the semifinals against Miami, it was the bench that saved the day. With Proctor in foul trouble and McCain struggling, Caleb Foster entered and played the game of his life. He knocked down three straight threes in a span of 90 seconds to turn a deficit into a lead. His final make, a corner three with a hand in his face, drew a primal scream from Foster and a bear hug from Scheyer. Duke advanced to the finals, where they would dismantle North Carolina to claim the ACC crown. The highlight? A Flagg-Maluach alley-oop that saw the freshman phenom throw a 35-foot lob that the towering center caught with one hand and thundered through the rim. It brought Cameron fans to their feet, even inside a neutral-site arena.
March Madness brought even more opportunities for unforgettable moments. In the Sweet 16 against Baylor, it was a defensive masterpiece that won the day. Duke held Baylor scoreless for the final 4:12, with Flagg recording two blocks and a steal in the final minutes. The biggest play came when Baylor tried to inbound under their own basket with four seconds left, trailing by one. Flagg jumped the passing lane, tipped the ball to himself, and took off downcourt before being fouled. He calmly sank both free throws to seal the win. That anticipation, that instinct, that ability to rise in the biggest moments—it was everything scouts had salivated over, now delivered on the biggest stage.
In the Elite Eight, the Blue Devils squared off against a red-hot Arizona team. With the game tied at 68 and less than a minute remaining, Duke ran a beautifully drawn-up play that saw McCain set a back screen for Flagg, who then curled out to the corner. But instead of shooting, Flagg fired a bullet pass inside to Stewart, who had sealed his man. The result: an easy layup and the lead. On the next possession, Proctor delivered a lockdown defensive stand, forcing a wild shot. Free throws finished the job, and Duke was Final Four bound.
Even in the heartbreak of the national championship game—a narrow loss to a veteran-laden UConn team—the Blue Devils delivered one final moment that will live in Duke lore. Down five with 15 seconds left, Flagg hit a contested three from the top of the key. Duke then stole the inbounds pass, and McCain had a clean look to win it from the corner. It rimmed out, heartbreakingly. But the sequence—the refusal to quit, the shot, the steal, the chance—it embodied the soul of the team. Fighters to the very end.
This season wasn’t about one player or one moment. It was a collection of jaw-dropping, heart-stopping plays that came from every corner of the roster. From Flagg’s emergence as the face of college basketball to Proctor’s evolution into a complete floor general, from McCain’s scoring flurries to Maluach’s intimidating rim protection, every contribution mattered. The 2024–25 Blue Devils weren’t just a team of stars. They were a team of moments—unforgettable ones.
Long after the season’s end, fans will still replay those highlight dunks, clutch threes, and soul-crushing blocks in their heads. They’ll remember where they were when Flagg threw it down on Kansas, when McCain broke Carolina hearts, when the buzzer-beater dropped against Syracuse. These weren’t just plays. They were declarations. Statements. Echoes of a Duke tradition that values excellence, heart, and the pursuit of greatness.
And in the hallowed halls of Cameron Indoor Stadium, where banners hang and echoes linger, the story of the 2024–25 season will be told again and again—through the lens of its unforgettable plays.