The second Duke basketball game versus the Miami Hurricanes played out similarly to the first.
One month after defeating Miami by 35 points in Durham, Duke won by 37 at Coral Gables. Three freshmen scored at least 16 points each, with Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel combining for nine 3-pointers, while the Blue Devils assisted on 20 of their 32 baskets.
The win, Duke’s record-breaking seventh conference victory of at least 25 points this season, resembled many of the Blue Devils’ recent games. Cooper Flagg and his teammates have outscored their previous five opponents by an average of 31 points. However, a few distinct flaws jumped out in Duke’s 25th win of the season.
Here are some key lessons from Tuesday’s 97-60 victory.
Kon Knueppel just put on the quietest 20-point game of the year.
With teammate Isaiah Evans hitting five three-pointers before halftime and Flagg scoring a consistent 16 points, Knueppel went unnoticed until the final stretch. The Wisconsin native missed his second 3-point attempt only 90 seconds into the game and did not miss again, hitting three in a row in the second half to help the Blue Devils extend their lead on a 22-6 run that virtually ended the game. Twenty points on eight shots and four free throws is incredibly efficient.
Whether Isaiah Evans plays a bench role or not, the excitement around him is real.
Will Evans score at least 16 points in each remaining game on the schedule? Perhaps so, but it seems difficult to bet against the North Carolina native right now. The daring shooter came off the bench and made mincemeat of the Miami defense, pulling up to shoot if he got even an inch of room on the right side of the logo. He drilled a three on contact, one on an abrupt stop after a screen, and a triple in every way fans could imagine. Over the last three games, he has 50 points and shot 13/19 (68.4%) from behind the arc in 66 minutes. One or two more games like this and he might not spend a second season in Durham.
Duke needs one of Tyrese Proctor or Maliq Brown to return and be healthy for the postseason.
Duke’s stress-free evening was cut short when Tyrese Proctor came up funny on his left leg in the last minute of the first half. He did not participate in the remaining 20 minutes, and head coach Jon Scheyer announced after the game that the squad will have imaging done on the injury. The third-year guard is having his best season with the club, averaging 11.8 points and 40.8% 3-point shooting, while veteran forward Maliq Brown is still rehabbing from a dislocated shoulder. Beating the 6-22 Hurricanes is one thing; winning a playoff game is another. With both players absent, the Blue Devils are unable to cut the net.
