The Duke Blue Devils won their eighth straight game on Saturday in their most impressive effort yet, a 27-point road victory over the previously 11-2 SMU Mustangs, and Cooper Flagg and his teammates moved slightly closer to the No.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer did not travel with the No. 4 Blue Devils for their 89-62 victory at SMU on Saturday due to illness. The program revealed Scheyer's status roughly 15 minutes before tipoff and announced associate head coach Chris Carrawell would serve as acting head coach for the game.

As a newcomer to the ACC with a new head coach and largely rebuilt roster through the transfer portal, few knew what to expect from Andy Enfield’s SMU team this season. The Mustangs had their best start in five seasons before the conference’s top team came to Moody Coliseum for the first time since 1977.