Why did Duke lose to Kentucky? Part of the reason is because the Blue Devils missed a lot of shots and sustained key injuries, while the Wildcats didn’t. And yes, the age difference didn’t help. But it happens.
“It's just basketball.” That was what Cooper Flagg had to say Tuesday night in Duke’s postgame press conference after the Blue Devils lost the Champions Classic to Kentucky 77-72. He didn’t mean that basketball is not a big deal, but that’s just the way the game goes. It’s the same game, no matter where you play or who you play against.
Andrew Carr and Kerr Kriisa are sporting their third college basketball jerseys. Jaxson Robinson is on his fourth. Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and Flagg are all still getting used to playing with their last names on the backs, and they lost to a team full of veterans. It doesn’t mean they are any less good at basketball than anyone initially thought they were. It’s hard to win, especially with a nonconference schedule like the one head coach Jon Scheyer has laid out for his team.
“This guy on my right … at 17 years old, what he does and how he competes and how he shows up, I couldn't be more proud of him,” Scheyer said of Flagg.
Watching Duke play Kentucky and lose was strange, not because it’s been nine years since that has happened, but rather because the Blue Devils played pretty well. Not to say they can’t, or won’t, play better, but it’s not as if there are many insightful takeaways from this loss, other than the obvious — baskets win basketball games. It also doesn’t help when Maluach goes out with nine minutes to play and Sion James sits out the better part of the second half with injury.
But they did play well. Flagg made 26 points, Knueppel scored 14 and Maluach put up 10. These rookies deserve grace because they’re new to the scene and they’re not used to the pressure — but they don’t really need it. Their chemistry looks far more like that of a team that’s been playing together for months, if not a few years.
“We’ve got a long season to go. I feel more optimistic tonight, losing, than I did even before, because you find out in this game the character of your team and the heart that they have,” Scheyer said. “And this team has got a lot of heart.”
That’s not just coach speak from Scheyer. His freshman class won its first two games by more than 30 points and its exhibition games by more than 50 apiece. Although still early in the season, the young Blue Devils were eventually going to play a close game. They hadn’t known what it felt like to lose or even come close to losing. It’s difficult to take criticism after blowout wins, and in order to grow, Duke needed this loss.
What it didn’t need, however, was injury. Scheyer attributed Maluach exiting the game to cramping, as he did Flagg’s stint on the sideline when Army came to Durham. If the Champions Classic highlighted one thing for the Blue Devils to look closely at, it has to be their health.
“We have young bodies,” Scheyer said. “We're not trying to just dip our toes in the water. We need Cooper to play a lot.”
They do need Flagg to play a lot, but that won’t happen unless he remains in good health. James’ shoulder injury was unlucky — he’s 21 and has plenty of muscle protection — but frequent cramping from teenagers who haven’t maintained this level of competition before is preventable, if difficult. The problem might not go away this weekend, but it can by conference play, and Scheyer has every intent to make sure that happens.
There is something to be said, though, about injury getting in the way of Duke’s success. Flagg’s and Maluach’s bodies gave out because they refused to slow down; Flagg played all 20 minutes of the second half. With Kentucky rotating a deep roster, the Blue Devils underperformed in the second frame: They went from shooting 48.7% to 29.4% between the periods, dropping their free-throw and already-low 3-point percentages, too.
The effort didn’t go away, nor did their cohesion on the court. Their fatigue manifested in injuries and missed shots, but not, by any means, in a loss of dedicated effort.
“At the end of the day, it’s just basketball,” Flagg repeated. And someone has to lose a basketball game.
Duke now knows what it feels like to be on the losing side. The Blue Devils will try to get back on track Saturday at noon against Wofford in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.