TUCSON, Ariz. — In order to play — and win — a grown man’s game, Duke first had to make its freshman mistakes.
This is why, in many ways, the Blue Devils’ narrow loss to Kentucky in the Champions Classic is the gift that keeps on giving. Against the nation’s fifth-oldest team, coach Jon Scheyer’s squad looked, well, young, especially late. Case in point: Duke only had four second-half possessions against Kentucky in which it completed three or more passes. It was iso ball at the most inopportune time, and ultimately, it cost Duke that game.
But at No. 17 Arizona on Friday, in a sold-out, frothing-at-the-mouth McHale Center, Duke looked mature. Surprisingly so, for a team that starts three freshmen. But when Scheyer built this squad in this fashion — about as against-the-grain a move as any coach can make in today’s era — it was with the hope that his team would grow up in real time before the nation’s eyes.
Duke 69, Arizona 55.
Hypothesis confirmed.
Let’s be clear: If Duke hadn’t lost in the fashion it did against Kentucky, there’s no telling if it would’ve been able to match Arizona’s physicality Friday.
A whopping one personal foul was called in the first seven minutes of the game — when Khaman Maluach shoved fellow 7-footer Motiejus Krivas in transition, completely out of the play — which set the tone for the rest of the game. And considering Arizona is another legitimate top-55 team in terms of experience, that’s reflected in how the Wildcats play. Entering Friday, coach Tommy Lloyd’s team allowed just 20.7 points in the paint per game, according to CBB Analytics, the fifth-fewest of any team in the country. But Duke blew past that barometer with almost 12 minutes to play, ultimately finishing with 28 points inside.
And go down the list. There’s proof practically everywhere of the Blue Devils’ backbone. A 43-30 rebounding edge — and a 13-6 offensive rebounding edge, which was critical late when Arizona got the game back within two possessions. Duke turned Arizona’s 15 turnovers into 19 points, while only allowing its 14 giveaways to turn into nine.
Graduate guard Sion James put old Duke rival Caleb Love — who entered Friday having averaged 16.9 points per game in his previous eight contests versus the Blue Devils — in hell defensively. Love finished with a measly eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, and after his lone made 3, Love even raised his hands in relief; fitting, since he didn’t have much all night.
Instead, Duke’s freshman stars aged an eternity Friday. Cooper Flagg has been as good as advertised all season, but after starting 3-for-11, the expected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft turned it on after halftime, finishing with a game-high 24 points and six rebounds.
HEY NOW @Cooper_Flagg 🔨😮💨
📺 @DukeMBB | ESPN2pic.twitter.com/wXHkOGNJqs
— ACC Men’s Basketball (@accmbb) November 23, 2024
Kon Knueppel, who struggled mightily against Kentucky, could barely hang onto the ball in the first half, but his two 3-pointers in the last 5:20 sucked all the air out of McHale, like a deflating balloon; fans started heading for the exits when his team-best third 3-pointer dropped through the net. And even Maluach, finally facing someone his size, battled through some bruising to deter essentially everything Arizona put up inside.
A grown man’s game, indeed — won by a team that, suddenly, looks to have advanced beyond its age.
What was most impressive about Duke’s defense?
Plenty, but start with this stat: Arizona’s 55 points tied for its fewest in a game in the Lloyd era — which is huge, considering Lloyd’s offenses have finished seventh, 10th and 11th in adjusted efficiency the last three seasons. Lloyd is considered one of the better offensive coaches in the country, and while the Wildcats haven’t played to that standard much of this season, Duke shutting off the water is still notable.
The pure shooting percentages Duke held Arizona to — 39.6 percent overall, 26.1 percent from 3 — are impressive enough. Similarly, while Love hasn’t played to anything close to an All-American level this season, making him alternate between passive and pressing showed how disruptive Duke can be. But Arizona’s shot diet, at least in my eyes, was the biggest indicator of the wall the Blue Devils built on the interior. The Wildcats shot better than 50 percent on 2s in the first half but proceeded to go 7-of-16 on 2-pointers after intermission.
Instead, it chucked up 23 3-pointers — only making six of them — despite only having made 20 total 3-pointers entering Friday night. That sharp left turn is a testament to Duke’s length (every rotation player is at least 6-foot-5) and its interior tenacity.
What’s up with Arizona’s offense?
As Lloyd said after the game, it’s time to re-examine how all of Arizona’s pieces fit because they haven’t so far. Love is drawing as much defensive attention as he ever has and hasn’t found a way to efficiently (or effectively) combat that. Oakland transfer Trey Townsend is posting a career-worst turnover rate and has yet to make a 3 this season. Lloyd has struggled to figure out the rotation with his four bigs, none of whom were particularly effective Friday.
The 3-point woes are the easiest answer here — Arizona is shooting 27.1 percent from 3 after Friday, a sub-300 rate nationally — but it’s far from the only issue. Despite playing Lloyd’s typical fast-paced tempo, Zona’s transition offense has only been okay; the Wildcats had just six fast-break points versus Duke and were largely limited to life in the halfcourt. That’s a hard way to make a living when you can’t make shots.
What’s next for the Blue Devils?
Part three of a daunting four-chapter nonconference schedule includes a showdown with No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The Jayhawks are undefeated and among the best teams this season, although they’ve looked less-than-stellar against North Carolina and Michigan State at times.
Then, regardless of the outcome, Auburn awaits Duke after Thanksgiving when the Tigers come to Cameron Indoor for the ACC-SEC Challenge.
Scheyer said this preseason that he didn’t construct such a daunting nonconference schedule so Duke could go undefeated; he did it so his young team would be tested early and, ideally, improve. That’s been the case so far, and a 1-1 split against Kentucky and Arizona (especially with the latter game on the road) is nothing to shake a stick at. It would be great if the Blue Devils could win at least one of the next two — I’d bet on beating Kansas over Auburn, given how both teams have looked thus far.
But it’s about a young team continuing to grow with a peak in February and March in mind.
(Photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
