The Blue Devils took on the Black Knights of Army Friday night – the last tuneup before facing their first ranked foe of the season. Army provided Duke with a unique defensive look with their pack-line defense but they mixed it, going zone on occasion and others using a box and 1. The different looks were effective for spurts in the first half but the Blue Devils got plenty of open looks in the first half that just didn’t go down. Duke ended up shooting just 7-22 in the first half from beyond the arc but on the strength of their defense Duke was able to build a 23 point lead before the break. Led by Cooper Flagg’s 13 point and 10 rebound effort. Flagg would exit the game in the second half with cramping for a second straight game. Flagg would only play 5:40 minutes in the second half and Duke obviously didn’t need him. Coach Scheyer seemed perturbed that Flagg was having these issues again after the game vs Maine and promised to get it squared away sooner rather than later. The Blue Devils would outscore the Black Knights 57-38 in the second half with Tyrese Procter scoring 14 points on 5-9 shooting.
The Blue Devils boasted 6 in double figures for the second straight game led by freshman Kon Knueppel with 15 points and 4-6 from 3-point range. Tyrese Proctor scored all 14 of his points in the second half after going 0-3 in the first. Conversely, Cooper Flagg, limited by cramps in the second half, scored all 13 of his points in the first half collecting his first double-double as a collegian. Caleb Foster and Khaman Maluach tallied 11 points each with Maluach adding 14 rebounds to notch his first double-double as a Blue Devil. Flagg and Maluach are the first Duke duo to record double-doubles in the same game since Feb. 12, 2024, when Kyle Filipowski tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jared McCain posted 17 points and 10 rebounds against Wake Forest. Grad transfer Sion James scored 12 points to round out the double figure scorers going 5-5 from the free throw line and adding 4 assists.
The Blue Devils will face a very good and probably under-ranked Kentucky team in Atlanta on Tuesday. Duke will have quite a bit to clean up before facing the Wildcats as the Blue Devils, several times left open shooters – something that will be a death knell against the 3-point arsenal that the Wildcats have. Duke will also need to get tougher on the boards and in the paint. The Wildcats primarily want to shoot 3’s but their age, size and strength could give Duke some fits.
DUKE HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
Opening Statement
“First, I just want to thank our crowd. It’s easy to take for granted when you have a sold-out arena all the time, and our students, our fans, to pull up to the gym this morning and see people camping out, not just for one game, but for every game. It’s amazing. It’s the best. Something I never want our players, our staff, our program, to ever take for granted. So, thank you to the fans. Then, too, just to play Army on Veteran’s Day Weekend really means a lot to us. What they stand for, what those kids do, the commitment that they’ve made to our country means a ton. They’re a tough, disciplined, hard-nosed group. I was happy with what we did, overall. A lot to clean up, a lot to build on. Particularly the first half defense, to hold them to 20 points was great. Cooper [Flagg] and Khaman [Maluach], to have double digit rebounds in the first half. Just need to keep building.”
On Cooper Flagg’s play and second-half cramps:
“I’m not happy about it for him. We have to help him, and we will. We can’t have that happening. Bottom line. I thought he had it going, too. That first half, he was just really controlling the whole game with his rebounding, his passing, his playmaking, his scoring. He was assertive shooting the ball. So, that can’t happen. I’m not happy with it, and we’re going to fix that.”
On Duke’s response to the different Army defenses:
“Give them credit. It’s hard to identify what they’re in. At times, it seemed like it was a triangle-and-two or a box-and-one. Sometimes there’s a zone. Sometimes they’re just really pressuring and denying. I thought it stood us up. That’s one of those things where, for our guys, you just need to be a player and play to your habits. Drive when it’s there, shoot when it’s there, pass when it is. Give them credit, because in that middle stretch of the first half, it definitely stood us up. I’m glad it happened because it gives us a lesson to learn from of it’s not just running plays, it’s reacting to what the defense is going to do.”
On Duke’s maturity:
“They’ve been that way from day one, since recruiting these guys. I think all that, too, is contagious. When you feel a guy to your right and to your left that’s about the team. When you add a Sion and add a Mason, they’re over themselves. They’ve already gone through the experiences of a freshman, a sophomore trying to find out who they are, and it brings security with those guys. Maliq [Brown] is very close to that, as well. Then our freshmen, I just think our freshmen are mature beyond their years, and they’re about the right things. They’re about being coached. I’m lucky to coach these guys and that they want to be here. But again, I think that needs to show even more as we face more adversity as the season wears on.”
GRADUATE GUARD SION JAMES
“I just keep getting more and more comfortable. It’ll look different every game, just based on who’s got it going. Tyrese [Proctor] had it going a little bit in the second half. They were playing a funky little defense in the first half that kind of threw us off, but once we figured it out, we showed that we’re a very talented team.”
On his four assists tonight:
“We’ve got so much talent that the ball should be moving, [and] the ball should be popping. Today, it was four assists but another game it could be zero for me because it could be 10 for somebody else. We want to be a really high assist team, and we took a step in that direction today.”
When asked about his high efficiency play over the first couple of games of the season:
“I feel more and more comfortable every time I get on the court. We have so much talent on our team that it wouldn’t make sense for me to shoot a whole bunch of shots and keep missing. These guys are getting me easy looks, getting me open looks, and obviously good shots go down.”
On the upcoming matchup against Kentucky:
“Same as always, just keep getting better, keep improving, day-by-day. We try to focus on whatever game is next, so this time, it’s Kentucky. We know we’ve got a long season, but a journey of a thousand steps starts with one. We’re just going to keep going one game at a time.”
When asked about playing on a team where there’s so much talent that there’s a “good pressure” to excel: ”
It’s almost a situation where you have to play well because you know there’s somebody behind you waiting to play as well. But it’s an unbelievable thing – it’s great for culture and great for chemistry when you know the guys behind you are still cheering for you and still want you to go. I’m coming off the bench, but I love when Tyrese [Proctor] gets hot. I love when Caleb [Foster] gets hot. These are the guys who are taking my minutes, in theory, but that’s a culture thing. I love when those guys get going and that’s what makes us better as a team.”
FRESHMAN CENTER KHAMAN MALUACH
“I just went out there and did my job. Get rebounds – that’s all I had in my head. Get every offensive rebound or every defensive rebound.”
On how the transition to college basketball has gone for him:
“I’m getting there one step at a time with the college game. It’s a different game, but I feel like I’m catching up every game. I knew it was going to be different and I wasn’t scared of the change, so I knew a lot of stuff was going to be different and I had to just adapt to it. Being a college athlete is great and I’m just enjoying and embracing every moment while I’m here.”
When asked what it’s like to be on a team with so much talent:
“It feels great because the players not only are good players but they’re good people, too. They have great personalities and that’s what makes it the best thing. They make my job easier and I enjoy playing with them and their personalities. They’re great people and that’s the best part about it.”
