For 29 minutes, Arizona hung around. 

It matched Duke run for run.

It looked like it could play with the top-seeded Blue Devils. 

Then, in a snap, Cooper Flagg and company ran away and hid, landing the kind of sudden haymaker few teams, if any, in the country can handle. 

It only took 4:39 of game action for Duke to make it clear the fourth-seeded Wildcats wouldn’t stay with them.

By the end of this 20-5 burst, it led by 15 and a spot in the Elite Eight was all but assured. 

Flagg led the way, contributing five points and providing four assists as Duke secured a 100-93 victory at Prudential Center. It was an impressive performance by Flagg, playing a key role in the team’s success.

It will meet No. 2 Alabama in a fascinating East Regional final on Saturday. 

With 46 seconds left in the first half, Arizona pulled even on a Caleb Love 3-pointer.

At that point, it felt like Duke had enough.

No more playing around.

One of the top players, Kon Knueppel, who is expected to be a one-and-done lottery pick for Duke, made a crucial 3-pointer. Flagg also made a buzzer-beating shot, giving the Blue Devils a boost of momentum as they headed into halftime. 

Out of the break, they put the hammer down.

Flagg went from scorer to playmaker.

He split a double team to set up Sion James for a wide open 3-pointer.

Three times, he drove into the teeth of the Arizona defense and threw successful lobs to Khaman Maluach. 

Flagg, the presumptive first overall pick in the NBA Draft, was dominant, finishing with 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three blocks.

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He became just the sixth freshman with a game of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in the Sweet 16 or later since 1984.

But what has made Duke so tough is there is so much more to them than Flagg.

There was the 7-foot-2 Maluach owning the paint, notching 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks, and Knueppel adding 20.

Sion James, a sharpshooting Tulane transfer, chipped in 16.

The Blue Devils shot 60 percent from the field as a team and hit 11 3-pointers against Arizona, which entered the night with a top-30 defense efficiency-wise.