1-seed Duke basketball will face 1-seed Houston tonight in the Final Four with a trip to the National Championship on the line.
This is the first time most of Duke's roster is in this spot, in fact it's everyone's first time besides Mason Gillis, who played in the national championship game last season with Purdue.
The group of first-timers to the Final Four includes Duke freshman star Kon Knueppel, but just his first time as a player.
Ahead of Duke's matchup tonight, Knueppel's mother, Chari, posted a picture on X of Knueppel's first trip to the Final Four as a fan back in 2015.
Konny’s first Final Four. 2015. https://t.co/jjMtDIF1rO
— Chari Nordgaard Knueppel (@ChariNKnueppel) April 5, 2025
"Konny's first Final Four. 2015."
Ironically, it looks like Knueppel is wearing a Wisconsin jersey, which is the team Duke beat in 2015 to win the national title. The Duke freshman grew up in Milwaukee, so he was probably against the Blue Devils back in his childhood.
Regardless if Knueppel felt some heartbreak after the Badgers were defeated by the Blue Devils in the 2015 National Championship, he's certainly looking to bring a sixth national title to Durham ten years later. And he isn't just a part of the team but one of the program's biggest contributors.
The freshman sharpshooter has been one of the Blue Devils' best players all season and has broken onto the scene throughout 2025 as one of the top 2025 NBA Draft prospects.
After a bit of a slow start in Duke's first two NCAA Tournament games, Knueppel dropped 20 in the Sweet 16 against 4-seed Arizona and 21 against 2-seed Alabama in the Elite 8.
Through the postseason, including the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament thus far, Knueppel is averaging 17.4 points and 3.8 assists per game on 50.7% shooting from the floor and 41.3% shooting from thre-point range. He was the Blue Devils' ring leader in the ACC Tournament after Cooper Flagg missed almost the entirety of the conference tournament with injury, eventually earning Knueppel ACC Tournament MVP honors.
Knueppel will be a highly-touted 2025 NBA Draft prospect, and is currently projected in the top ten picks by most networks.
The freshman sharpshooter is hoping to string together two more lights-out performances to help the Blue Devils hoist a National Championship trophy for the sixth time. Catch the Blue Devils take on Houston tonight at 8:49 pm ET.