Duke Handles Maine, 96-62 In Season Opener
This was no false Flagg operation
Okay, let’s start here: how many of you thought Maine would give Duke a better game than Arizona State did?
Yeah, same here.
But you can safely say this: Maine came in, showed a lot of heart and that they are a well-coached team. Because while Duke won without too much trouble, Maine played much better in Cameron than did ASU.
In fact it took Duke a little while to get meaningful separation. Maine was down just nine at the half, 44-33, and hung around for a few minutes in the second too.
But of course Duke did pull away in the second half on the way to a convincing 96-62 win. And while it wasn’t always a perfect team effort, there were a lot of positives in this one.
Let’s start with Kon Knueppel: the freshman shredded it in the first half, hitting 15 in the first half and finishing with 22, including a four-point play. We’ve seen enough of him to say he’s for real. The hype there is justified. You don’t dare leave him open. That guy is going to have a lot of jerseys replaced this year because, like JJ Redick, guys are going to hang all over it.
There were also a couple of highlight blocks for Khaman Maluach and some stunning dunks by Cooper Flagg (one didn't count as it came after the shot clock expired).
We also saw some really impressive passes by Maliq Brown - we hadn’t really seen that side of his game yet - and Caleb Foster getting in the lane, successfully, in a way that we didn’t see so much last season.
Tyrese Proctor didn't score a lot but he ran the team well. Most of the bench play came from the transfers, with Brown, Mason Gillis and Sion James getting the most minutes. Darren Harris got seven minutes (with six points) and Isaiah Evans played three.
It wasn’t necessarily a perfect effort team wise. Things were a little rough around the edges and there were missed opportunities.
Nonetheless.
Duke put a tremendous amount of pressure on Maine. It wasn’t just the shooting percentage (21.4 percent from behind the line and 36.8 percent overall) or the 14 turnovers, which seems low.
It was the number of passes that were contested, the shots that Maine had to alter just to get over long arms. Duke’s defense was really imposing. Maine went nearly 10 minutes late in the second half without hitting a basket.
It’s going to take a little while to sand down the rough edges, but this team has immense promise.
Notes - Flagg went down in the second half with what appeared to be a cramp...Maluach at times was hestitant to go after shots, but on the other hand, he didn’t pick up stupid fouls either...Flagg asserted himself offensively more in the second half but he was a real focus for Maine and didn’t get too many clear opportunities...Duke hit 35-63 overall (55.6 percent) and 11-29 from behind the line (37.9 percent)...the Blue Devils won the boards, 11 offensive and 40 overall to 27 overall and seven offensive for Maine...Duke assisted on 17 of 35 shots...there was one point in the second half where the ball movement really was beautiful...we see hints of it and it’s likely to be a big weapon for Jon Scheyer’s team if it becomes more prevalent...Brown’s contributions are more subtle but he’s a heck of a player...having him and Flagg on the court at the same time is a dynamic pairing defensively...
- MAINE EVENT: No. 7 Duke men’s basketball defeats Maine 96-62 to open 2024-25 season
- 5 observations and more from No. 7 Duke’s men’s basketball’s first half against Maine
- In Duke basketball’s opener, Kon Knueppel was the Maine event, not Cooper Flagg
- Cooper Flagg’s late injury scare only tense moment as No. 7 Duke routs Maine in opener
- Maine event: Cooper Flagg dazzles in Duke basketball debut vs home state squad
- Watch: Duke’s Kon Knueppel Leads All Scorers In Win Over Maine
- Jon Scheyer Duke vs Maine Postgame Press Conference (Full Video)
- NBA Fans React To Cooper Flagg’s Performance In Maine-Duke Game
- Duke freshmen shine in their college debuts against Maine
- Cooper Flagg drops 18 points, throws down massive dunk in Duke debut while leading Blue Devils to win over Maine