Everything Kon Knueppel said after career night for Duke star vs Miami

Kon Knueppel played the best game of his young college career on Tuesday night, leading the Duke Blue Devils to a resounding 89-54 victory over the Miami Hurricanes at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He talked about his performance in a postgame chat with reporters after recording career-highs in scoring and 3-pointers.

Knueppel punished the Miami defense, scoring a game-high 25 points. He was efficient on the offensive end, shooting 9-for-11 from the field. Knueppel torched the Hurricanes from deep, making six of his eight 3-point attempts. He also had three assists, two rebounds and one steal in 26 minutes of action.

A reporter asked Knueppel how Duke's offense got off to a good start in the first half.

"Great unselfishness from our guys tonight," Knueppel said. "I thought we made that extra pass a bunch of times and I was able to be the beneficiary from a lot of that."

A reporter got almost the same response from Kon Knueppel when he asked the Duke star how fun it was to be part of an offense that was rolling against Miami.

"It’s awesome. A lot of unselfishness leads to a lot of open shots. I thought we did a good job of making that extra pass tonight," Knueppel said.

Knueppel agreed with a reporter when asked if it helped him that his first shot went in against the Hurricanes.

"It definitely does to see the first one go down," he admitted.

A reporter told Knueppel that he's been on a roll lately. He asked the freshman guard if that was a result of practice or just him shooting through things.

"Yeah. Just keep the same routine. Shots are gonna fall. Try to affect the game in other ways too. It’s not all about making or missing shots," Knueppel said.

Knueppel was also asked if he knew he was on the cusp of posting career-high numbers against Miami.

"I thought I was pretty close after the first half. You try not to think about it too much, just try to make the right play," he said.

Kon Knueppel gets offensive help from Cooper Flagg in win over Miami

Kon Knueppel has been on a tear for No. 3 Duke lately, scoring in double figures in each of his last six games. He is averaging 16.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists during this period. The Blue Devils have benefited from Knueppel's stellar play, winning all of their games during this stretch by an average of 24.7 points.

Duke Blue Devils forward Kon Knueppel (#7) reacts after hitting a three-pointer during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Photo: Imagn

It wasn't just Knueppel who wreaked havoc against the Miami defense. Cooper Flagg scored 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Khaman Maluach and Mason Gillis each amassed 12 points for the Blue Devils, who improved their record to 15-2.