Auburn proved it could compete against Cameron in the opening moments of last night’s game, jumping out to a 13-point lead. But Duke roared back and after that Auburn led just once more, 33-32, with 3:55 left in the first half. What has changed?

Well, a few things.

First, Duke’s defense came into play, and as we’ve discussed a lot so far, the Blue Devils have NBA size and a really athletic roster by college standards. That explains why, after scoring 13 points before the first timeout at 4:20 p.m., the Tigers took until the 7:25 mark to score 13 more points.

But it was more than that. Isaiah Evans broke out and that was a big part of it. After the game, he spoke with Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 Podcast and said he came to Duke for the hard stuff. How much do you love this? He scored 18 points in the first half, almost all on three-pointers. It was a brilliant performance that changed the game. His hard work and humility are paying off. A lot of impatient guys could learn from him.

Tyrese Proctor hit an absolute three-pointer with just 4:30 left in the shot clock and Auburn cut the score to 70-68. That was remarkable and a huge factor in this game. It was one of those moments that makes you think Duke isn’t giving up here. This was perhaps the biggest play of the season so far.

And it paid off to bring Sion James into the starting lineup. The guy is an absolute beast. He was willing and able to add variety by blocking shots and dunking against a very physical team. He changes things for Duke. And that was a big part of it.

But the biggest part of it might have been the game Cooper Flagg put together.

Flagg did a little bit of everything.

Still 17 — he turns 18 on Dec. 21 when Duke visits Georgia Tech — Flagg had a game you’d expect from a much older player, but rare even then.

He finished the game with 22 points (team-high), 11 rebounds (team-high), four assists (team-high), three steals (same-team-high) and two blocks (same-team-high).

And in case you haven’t noticed: no sales. That was obviously a problem against Kentucky and Kansas, and to a lesser extent in Arizona.

Flagg had two against Maine and Army, three against Kentucky and Wofford, four at Arizona and Kansas and three against Seattle.

Against Kentucky, Flagg was, well, you don’t want to call it hero ball, but he’s the best player on the team and he tried to make plays. But he’s still a rookie, and rookies make mistakes – even great rookies.

He didn’t do that against Auburn, in part because he learned not to dribble into trouble, but perhaps also because he got to know his teammates better in competitive situations and his younger teammates are now playing at a higher level.

Take Kon Knueppel for example. He didn’t score well against Auburn, but hit a critical layup with :59 left to give Duke a 79-72 lead. And of course Evans just broke out in the first half.

The only one who hasn’t made a special leap in the last few games is Khaman Maluach. It doesn’t really surprise us. Maluach has played against older players in Africa, but the level of competition in the United States is much higher. At Maluach you see glimpses every now and then. He had the three-pointers against Arizona that no one expected (and shot with confidence, too), and against Auburn he had a stunning goalkeeper block.

Still, he got up there and got the shot, and he did it with aggression and, dare we say it, bad intentions.

Right now he’s playing like someone who realizes he’s moved up a level or three and is adapting. Does he belong there? Yes, he does, absolutely. Is it an easy transition? No, not even if you’re 7-2 and blessed. This is a huge competitive shift and we should not underestimate the cultural adjustment. You could take a brilliant American soccer talent to the UK or Spain and he’ll struggle for a while. It’s just different.

However, he will make the adjustment. We will soon see him in takeover mode, where he dominates the central defense and also scores efficiently. And when that day comes, it will be extraordinarily difficult to face Duke, who is already a liability. Just look at the central defense. Flagg and Maliq Brown are both excellent defenders. Remember that they are reinforced by Proctor, James and Foster and Knueppel is also working on defense.

Now imagine them exaggerating all the snipers in the area, daring them to drive into a confident Maluach just waiting to block their shots, or at least manipulate them. Then you have Flagg and others catching the rebounds and getting in transition.

Duke is already a tough opponent, but when Maluach gets up to speed, this team will be a nightmare.