Home cooking: Three takeaways from Duke basketball’s win over Seattle at Cameron Indoor

The Blue Devils took a breather on Friday.

After playing three ranked teams on the road in 15 days, No. 11 Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium and steamrolled Seattle, 70-48. Tyrese Proctor led the way with 13 points and, after building a sizable lead, 5-foot-8 Spencer Hubbard — the shortest player on the nation’s tallest team — excited the crowd late with a nearly-made layup. If only.

The Redhawks went back and forth with the Blue Devils for the first 10 minutes of the game. But then freshman sharpshooter Kon Knueppel kicked off an 18-7 run with a drive to the basket and a 3-pointer. Khaman Maluach scored with a light touch around the rim, Proctor knocked down a triple, Cooper Flagg tacked on four free throws across three trips to the line and Sion James knocked down a long-range jumper during that stretch — extending Duke’s lead to 12.

Seattle and Duke traded buckets for the remainder of the first half before the Blue Devils opened the second half with a 9-0 run.

Caleb Foster raced out for two layups and Duke continued to push the pace with the help of Flagg. His hustle on the offensive boards — catching a ball on its way out of bounds and throwing it off an unsuspecting Redhawk’s back to earn possession — led to a dunk for Maluach on the ensuing possession. Flagg found Proctor on the next trip down the court for a three to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 21 points with over 16 minutes remaining.

Despite the victory, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he “wasn’t really happy with much” on Friday. In particular, he pointed to the Blue Devils’ shot selection and fouling — the latter of which gifted Seattle 31 free throw attempts.

“I thought we rushed some shots,” Scheyer said. “Too many turnovers (13). We need to finish stronger, drive stronger, make extra passes… we have to get back in practice in fairness to our guys. We’ve been traveling and we need some practice time.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Duke’s defense disrupts, but offense stalls early

The Blue Devils entered Friday boasting the nation’s second-best adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Duke put its defensive intensity on display yet again versus Seattle, helping salve a rather rough start on offense.

The Blue Devils initially struggled from the field, shooting just 27% after eight minutes of play. That included a 2-for-9 start from distance.

“I just thought we were really soft in that first half,” Scheyer said. “They were more physical with us — that’s two games in a row. They came out more physical than us on defense.”

But Duke kept the game close and gave its offense some room for error. The Blue Devils only allowed Seattle six field goals on 26% shooting in the first half, although in Scheyer’s mind it was more a matter of the Redhawks missing shots than Duke applying pressure.

In the second half, Seattle failed to record a field goal until the 9:18 mark in the second half. Carrying over from the first half, that’s two field goals in roughly 18 minutes of play. Suffocating, to say the least — and much more in line with what Scheyer wants from his team.

“The first eight minutes of the second half, that was to me what we have to do,” Scheyer said. “I thought we came out with great energy [and] really guarded the ball. We had five guys defending the ball and that’s the energy I like.”

Proctor, Flagg, Knueppel continue to lead the way

Proctor is still on a roll from behind the arc. The junior sank a trio of triples against Seattle — with all three coming off assists from Flagg — and added four assists, a block and a steal.

Proctor has now made two 3-pointers or more in all seven regular-season games and both exhibition contests to lead Duke with 23. He made a career-best five triples against Kansas and is now shooting nearly 47% from distance this season (23-for-49).

“He’s playing to his strengths on offense,” Scheyer said. “I’ve been on him for two years — I want him to be shot-ready because he’s such a good shooter. He’s been that way. I think that opens up so much more to his game.”

Behind Proctor, it was more of the same from freshman duo Knueppel and Flagg. Knueppel helped jolt Duke’s offense awake in the first half and finished with 11 points and a 3-for-4 performance from behind the arc.

Flagg, despite not having the best shooting night, continued to show off the many ways he can impact a game. From hustle plays, to controlling the tempo on offense and dominating the boards with nine rebounds, he did it all. Oh, and throw in a season-high seven assists. Not too bad.

Isaiah Evans impresses in first minutes since Wofford game

When freshman guard Isaiah Evans checked into the game with 15 minutes to play in the first half, it was the first time the five-star recruit had seen the floor since Duke hosted Wofford on Nov. 11.

After missing a 3-pointer, turning the ball over and committing a foul over the course of three minutes, Evans was subbed back out. Evans entered the game again later in the half and sank a triple. Then, in the second half, the freshman’s thunderous slam — complete with a flex and roar in celebration — electrified the crowd. Evans soon added another triple to pad his stat line.

The guard’s performance — both from an efficiency standpoint and in the context of the game — was nothing eye-popping. That being said, after riding the bench during all of Duke’s high-profile contests in the early season, this recent showing may go a long way to boost the confidence of the top in-state recruit.

After the win, Scheyer praised Evans for his attitude despite limited minutes.

“He’s been working every single day,” Scheyer said. “It’s easy for guys to shoot, but he’s been asking [assistant coach Emanuel Dildy], ‘What can I work on after practice? I want to work on my defense. I want to work on my positioning.’ Every day. He’s been consistent with it… his talent is clear. It’s just learning how to play and how to get up to speed with everything.”

This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 9:25 PM.