As the fourth-ranked Blue Devils prepare to take on the rest of their season, our men’s basketball beats are here with questions and updates about their performances:
Who has been the biggest surprise so far?
Isaiah Evans: The freshman didn’t see any action against Duke’s early ranked opponents, perhaps because Kon Knueppel’s hot preseason performances overshadowed his shooting potential. So when Evans came off the bench against Auburn with six treys, he made a big splash. The 6-foot-6 guard has since seen more floor time, and his 51.2% 3-point percentage now leads Duke’s meaningful scorers by nearly 10 percent. But, he still only averages 13.7 minutes per game. Evans’ sharpshooting abilities — and head coach Jon Scheyer’s decision to play him sparingly — have both come as a surprise. -Abby DiSalvo
Maliq Brown: Yes, the Syracuse transfer was an All-ACC defender last season. And true, he did give the Blue Devils 26 on their home court last season for the Orange. But I think few suspected the immediate and immense impact Brown would have in Durham. Sometimes it feels like Brown is playing with an extra set of arms, as he leads the team by far in deflections and has pestered guards, forwards and bigs alike. While he hasn’t been as featured a player on offense — Brown has attempted just 22 shots all season — in many ways that has unlocked his potential as a defender. Through this point in the season, Brown has been the ultimate role player, and if Duke’s success is to continue into March, the long-armed forward will be a key reason why. - Dom Fenoglio
Caleb Foster: I’m going to invert this question a bit. Evans and Brown have been two of the undisputed “positive” surprises for Scheyer this season, but I’ve found myself routinely underwhelmed by Foster’s freshman-to-sophomore jump, or lack thereof. The flashes of elite playmaking and shot-creating that the Harrisburg, N.C., native showed last season alongside Tyrese Proctor have dimmed in his second year in Durham, to the point he’s now the second-choice shooting guard behind Sion James. I think Foster can be fantastic when he’s on, but in an early season schedule full of elite, title-caliber teams and college basketball backmarkers, Foster hasn’t been able to exert the kind of influence I, Scheyer or likely himself would have expected. -Andrew Long
What is the biggest question mark going into the second half of the season?
Will Duke’s occasional poor-shooting nights doom the team come March?
While the Blue Devils’ defense is unquestionably one of the best in the country — ranking first in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom — Duke’s offense has often faltered throughout large stretches against all types of opponents. The Blue Devils’ 78.9 points per game rank just 98th in the country, and the team’s 3-point percentage sits at an unimpressive 35.4%; only Proctor and Evans are converting on more than 40% of their attempts from beyond the arc. If an opposing offense catches fire in the NCAA Tournament, forcing Duke to respond with offensive prowess of its own, the Blue Devils’ shooting struggles must not rear their ugly head. Unless Scheyer’s men significantly improve their offensive consistency, it would take an extraordinary feat of defensive dominance for Duke to truly compete for a national championship. - Rodrigo Amare
How much will the starting lineup continue to change?
So far, the only big change to the starting five has been Sion James’ substitution for Foster, a switch Scheyer made for Duke’s matchup with Auburn. That, of course, was a great game for James to start, given that it became the most important win that the Blue Devils have taken thus far in the season. But what about Patrick Ngongba II, whose injury has kept him on the bench well past healing, due to all the time off he’s had to take? What about Foster — is the sophomore due back in to start? Will Knueppel continue to earn his spot? I’m curious to see how things evolve as we move into ACC play. -Sophie Levenson
What is the most important regular-season game left?
Clemson, Feb. 8: I think there will be a two-horse race for the ACC regular-season crown between Clemson and Duke. This game will give a key tiebreaker to the winner, and while the league regular-season championship doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, this is a great opportunity for a sure-fire Quad 1 victory if the Blue Devils slip up anywhere else. That is important for NCAA Tournament seeding because Duke has the potential to play its first two rounds in Raleigh. Matchup wise, the Tigers also present an elite defense with veteran talent, so how will the offense fair? Clemson’s strengths are its athletic, quick guards that will make Duke’s ball handlers work for everything. Plus, Ian Schieffelin’s toughness against Cooper Flagg will be a fun matchup to watch. The Tigers have played extremely well against the Blue Devils as of late, winning two years ago in Littlejohn Coliseum and taking it down to the wire last year in Cameron Indoor. -Ranjan Jindal
Illinois, Feb. 22: It’s no secret that the ACC is suffering yet another subpar season as a whole, so as crucial as it is for Duke to stay focused through its conference slate, Illinois is the squad’s last chance to prove it is doing more than cleaning up against lower talent. The Illini have picked up two nonconference wins against the SEC in Arkansas and Missouri, and lost to No. 1 Tennessee by just two. They are led by their own freshman phenom in point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who came to Champaign, Ill., all the way from Vilnius, Lithuania. Jakucionis averages 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists, while shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc. When Jakucionis is playing well, Illinois clicks, and stopping him will likely be Proctor’s task. The game will be played in front of a friendly crowd in Madison Square Garden, where the Blue Devils will look to add a final big-time nonconference win to their resume. - Fenoglio
Pittsburgh, Jan. 7: If the image of Blake Hinson standing on the press table in front of the Cameron Crazies last season isn’t burned into Scheyer’s mind, then I don’t know what is. The Panthers have given Duke trouble in Cameron Indoor these past few seasons, and it’s just the Blue Devils’ third game after the holiday break. It also comes three days after a road trip to SMU, and both teams will be among the toughest opponents in the ACC. That early of a conference loss, especially at home, will put Duke on its heels, and put added pressure on the bulk of its conference slate. It will lose a few ACC games — it always does. However, especially with the subpar performance of their conference opponents, the Blue Devils need to establish early that they are far and away the top of the conference. -Rachael Kaplan
What must Duke focus on down the stretch to be successful?
Duke must improve its opening pace: The Blue Devils have already suffered several slow starts this season (most notably against Kansas, Auburn and Louisville), but overcoming point deficits that dip into the double digits is not a sustainable strategy. Neither are major improvements in performance between the halves. In its last four games (all against unranked opponents), Duke averaged a halftime lead of 4.25 points but a final margin of 21. The Blue Devils have clearly learned how to step up their game coming out of the locker room. If they hope to stand a chance against tougher opponents in the postseason, they’ll need to start doing it at tipoff. -DiSalvo
Continue what works offensively: Duke has done a pretty good job moving the ball this year, but Scheyer and the players have said they tend to settle for jump shots at times. Against Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils got a blueprint of success on offense with the Knueppel-Khaman Maluach pick-and-roll. Knueppel is a playmaking threat and should have the ball in his hands as much as possible. Additionally, Duke is 246th in the country in free throw attempts. Part of that is the slower pace the Blue Devils are playing at, but Proctor and Foster, along with Flagg, should focus on getting to the basket when shots aren’t falling. Driving lanes are more open after the ball moves around the perimeter, so the Blue Devils can be patient on the offensive end. -Jindal
What are your thoughts on the ACC, and who are some teams to watch?
Levenson: I can’t say I’ve been impressed by the ACC yet. Duke, at No. 4, is currently the only team in the AP Poll, while the other usual suspects for national conversation — Virginia, North Carolina — are sitting on lackluster seasons with matching 7-5 records. The Tigers, however, deserve a look. Two of Clemson’s three losses have come with feisty overtime battles, and it won the Sunshine Slam in late November. With Schieffelin leading the charge in his senior season, and former Blue Devil Christian Reeves putting on his stripes, the Tigers should be a threat. The only other conference team holding its own at the moment is the new one — SMU — which has a fine 10-2 season with respectable losses and no serious upsets. Who knows, really, how the Mustangs will fare in the ACC.
Kaplan: The ACC critics have only gotten louder this season, and the conference as a whole has not done much to prove them wrong. It lost another coach this week when Miami’s Jim Larrañaga stepped down, just two seasons after a Final Four appearance. SMU unexpectedly had a strong start to its season after being projected to finish 13th, though it hasn’t really been tested yet. Clemson and Pittsburgh, I think, are second- and third-best in the conference. I agree with Sophie’s analysis of the Tigers — even without P.J. Hall, Schieffelin is maintaining Clemson’s success. After the Panthers destruction in the ACC/SEC challenge (a 90-57 loss to Mississippi State), I wouldn’t have bet on that, but they currently boast the 19th adjusted offensive rating in the country, according to KenPom. Pittsburgh has an explosive freshman in Brandin Cummings, and Jeff Capel may finally have his lane in the ACC.
Caleb Dudley: The ACC is certainly not what it was in year’s past, but that doesn’t mean Duke won’t see some tough teams the rest of the way. Clemson and Pittsburgh have already been touched on, so I’ll keep it in state for my teams to watch. Wake Forest took down the Blue Devils last year in a thriller, and while the Demon Deacons have had a slow start to the season, they certainly have untapped potential. Much of that comes with the play of Hunter Sallis, who has clear All-American talent and could play spoiler against Duke. The other team I still have decent faith in is North Carolina. While their resume to start the season is disappointing, every loss the Tar Heels have taken has been to an elite team. Most recently, Duke’s archrival notched its first big win over UCLA, and North Carolina will certainly get up to take on the Blue Devils twice later on this season.
What are your postseason expectations?
Amare: This year will likely be Scheyer’s best shot of winning a national championship in a long time. The 2024-25 Blue Devils are a special bunch; it’s rare to see a team with so many new faces build immediate chemistry and show the toughness and resiliency needed to overcome obstacles in March. However, with great talent comes incredible expectations, and Scheyer must capitalize on the superb squad he’s built. With Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach almost certainly declaring for the NBA Draft at the end of the season, and Sion James running out of eligibility, four of the team’s starters will likely be gone just four months from now. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that it’s Final Four or bust in Durham, not necessarily because of the likelihood of the Blue Devils reaching such heights, but simply because of how rare it is to build a genuinely great team in this era of college basketball.
Long: I’m with Rodrigo on the Final Four benchmark for this team, especially considering how poor the rest of the country thinks the ACC is. For the record: I’ve always been more bullish on the conference’s chances in March than most — even in down years, there usually seems to be an ACC representative in the national semifinals — but beyond my opinions it’s plain as day that this crop of Blue Devils is championship caliber. Duke’s win against Auburn stands out as perhaps the best of any team so far this season, and even though Arizona isn’t as strong as last year, a true nonconference road win is always a good omen. Plus, the Blue Devils’ pair of losses have aged great. Duke has shown it has the ability to compete with the types of teams it has to compete with come March, and with a sublime defense that will ensure it’s always in those types of games, fans have to feel good about Scheyer’s chances at a trip to San Antonio.
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Andrew Long is a Trinity senior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.