Saturday's Illinois-Duke matchup in New York City was meant to be a priming of the pump, a get-ready non-conference interlude that would allow both teams to get a feel for an NCAA Tournament environment and competition.

Despite Duke basketball’s dominance, Cooper Flagg and the third-ranked Blue Devils accomplished a first on Saturday night by annihilating Illinois at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

On Saturday night, college basketball will be treated to something that was commonplace for decades but has become the exception to the rule over the past 15-or-so years: a marquee February nonconference game between two high-major programs.