Blue Devil Country

Duke Basketball Achieves One Overlooked Feat in Latest Victory

Interestingly, the Hokies have witnessed more than their fair share of perfect Duke basketball performances at the charity stripe.

Matt Giles

Duke basketball guard Kon Knueppel
Duke basketball guard Kon Knueppel / Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
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The 2022-23 Duke basketball squad, Jon Scheyer's first as head coach, tied the 1970-71 Blue Devils for the third highest free throw percentage in program history at 76.6 percent. This year's group isn't quite on track to match that. But counting the effort in Tuesday night's 88-65 home win over Virginia Tech, it seems within reach.

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No. 4-ranked Duke's 15-for-15 clip against the Hokies is the program's highest number of makes without a miss since the 1977-78 Blue Devils finished 24-for-24 in a home win over Davidson.
Credit belongs to Cooper Flagg (4-for-4), Tyrese Proctor (4-for-4), Kon Knueppel (3-for-3), Caleb Foster (2-for-2), and Mason Gillis (2-for-2).

And it was only the third time a Duke team has been perfect at the foul line with at least 15 attempts in a contest.

Oddly enough, the program record of 29-for-29 came at home against the Hokies in December 1966. Even stranger, including the 10-for-10 at Virginia Tech in December 2019, three of the five times that a Duke basketball team has finished 10-for-10 or better have been against the Hokies in December.

Scheyer's third batch of Blue Devils (11-2, 3-0 ACC) is now shooting 75.1 percent at the line.

Six Duke basketball players have attempted at least 20 free throws this season. Five of them are shooting 75 percent or better.

Knueppel leads the way at 95.8 percent, as he's missed only one of his 24 attempts. Of course, it's still early, but the freshman guard/forward is on pace to break the Blue Devil season record of 95.3 percent that legendary Duke basketball sharpshooter JJ Redick posted in 2003-04.

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Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

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Matt Giles
MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of Duke Blue Devils on SI, North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, and NC State Wolfpack on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining SI in 2022, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.

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