When the lights went down and the curtain went up, this year’s expectations were officially enshrined in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke unveiled its 2015 NCAA championship banner Saturday at its annual Countdown to Craziness event, showing off the final piece of hardware the Blue Devils brought back from Indianapolis in April. After spotlighting each of the program’s first four national championship banners—including repeat titles in 1991 and 1992—Duke hit the court to take the first step toward hanging a sixth one next year.
“I was close to tearing up out there,” sophomore guard Grayson Allen said. “It was just a feeling I can’t describe with words…watching the fifth banner light up, and just running out there again. There’s nothing like it.”
With the banner on full display, Duke scrimmaged for two 12-minute halves, with players from both teams switching sides during the game. The White team defeated the Blue squad in both intra-squad halves by scores of 27-21 and 22-18.
Senior Amile Jefferson led all scorers with 13 points across both halves and converted four of his five field goal attempts. Making his Cameron Indoor debut, highly-touted freshman Brandon Ingram scored nine points—all in the first half—without committing a turnover.
Prior to the on-court action, the video board showed highlights from Duke's 68-63 win against Wisconsin in April's national title game. Although fans got to relive the excitement of the championship, it also served as reminder that the Blue Devils will look much different this year. Starters Quinn Cook, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones are all gone, forcing Duke's returners to step into larger roles and the newcomers to acclimate quickly.
Allen—the only member of the Class of 2018 to return for his sophomore year—did not hit a field goal in the first half but, like he did in the second half against the Badgers, heated up down the stretch. The Jacksonville, Fla., native went 4-for-8 from the field and finished with 10 points in the final stanza, including six in a row that brought the White squad back from an early five-point deficit.
Redshirt senior Marshall Plumlee seemed right at home Saturday night, delivering four big dunks, including a one-handed jam over 7-foot freshman Antonio Vrankovic. The captain finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, and his aggressiveness and communication stood out throughout the contest.
"In past years it was okay to come in flashes and fill little gaps here and there," Plumlee said. "Roles change, and you’re expected to bring what you bring to the table more consistently and at a higher level."
Although it was just a scrimmage, bodies frequently hit the deck as players scrambled for loose balls and contested shots at the rim. Junior guard Matt Jones made life difficult for freshman point guard Derryck Thornton and veteran big men Jefferson and Plumlee brought their physicality on both ends of the floor, bodying up freshmen Vrankovic and Chase Jeter.
"I thought our guys played really hard and well. Our defense is ahead of our offense. We are very big and we have been concentrating a lot on defense in the first 12 practices, especially our ball screen and dribble hand-off. I was pleased with the effort," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It's tough to score with our length if we are playing that hard. I thought Marshall and Amile set a really good tone. They were men."
But early on, nobody could slow down Ingram.
The Kinston, N.C., native swished his first shot attempt—a fade-away over Allen—and followed with a drive to the hoop that resulted in an opportunity for a three-point play. Ingram finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in the first half, proving why he is a threat both on the perimeter and near the rim, but did not make any of his five shot attempts after the eight-minute halftime.
“He can get very hot, and when he gets hot shooting the ball, there’s nothing you can do, because you can’t contest his shot, he’s so tall,” Allen said. “There was one shot out there he hit over me, where there was nothing else I could have done.”
Allen and freshman Luke Kennard—who finished 5-of-13 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers—split the first half handling ball-handling duties for White, with Thornton shouldering the load for the Blue squad.
The Chatsworth, Calif., native reclassified from the Class of 2017 to join the incoming class of Duke freshmen and did not play with the team during the summer, giving the 18-year-old a slightly steeper learning curve as the regular season nears. Thornton committed five of his team’s nine turnovers in the first half and had two more give-aways during the next 12 minutes.
“Everyone has some bad games, or some bumps in the road, but it’s how you respond,” Thornton said. “I have so much confidence in myself, even if I struggle, I’m going to be able to bounce back. I know all the hard work I put in, so I’m going to be fine.”
Krzyzewski agreed, noting that "anybody who is guarded by Matt Jones is going to have a hard time."
The Blue Devils open exhibition play Oct. 30 against Florida Southern before hosting Livingstone Nov. 4. Duke's season opener is Nov. 13 against Siena.
Ryan Hoerger contributed reporting.
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