While No. 7 Duke put on a nice show in its opening game, the Blue Devils are adamant about addressing numerous areas of play with a challenging stretch coming up.
The next chance to put more pieces in place will come against visiting Army on Friday evening in Durham, N.C., in the second game for both teams.
“I think there’s going to be a couple of bumps in the games we play, so we’ve got to get those worked out,” Duke freshman Kon Knueppel said.
Duke’s 96-62 opening victory against Maine on Monday got some of the first-time topics out of the way — the collegiate debuts of freshmen Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach and Knueppel, and further introductions for transfers Mason Gillis, Sion James and Maliq Brown.
“It was a good first step,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I thought there was a lot to clean up and plenty to get better at, but I like the effort.”
The first game offered more attention involving Flagg, the nation’s top recruit among the newest crop of freshmen. It won’t all be about scoring for Flagg, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward who delivered 18 points in the first game.
“Just trying to impact (the game) in a lot of different ways, whether it’s making the right play, finding an open teammate, rebounding, whatever it is,” said Flagg, who also posted seven rebounds and five assists. “It’s something that our team, in general, has been priding ourselves on — rebounding, playing good defense, playing with energy, those types of things that we can control.
“That has been huge for us and a big focus for us, just trying to impact the game in any way possible.”
Flagg has provided critical self-assessments of his performances. The Blue Devils are eager to smooth out wrinkles knowing they have a home date with No. 23 Kentucky on Tuesday night in Atlanta and games later this month against No. 10 Arizona and No. 1 Kansas.
“I think I’ve got a long way to go,” Flagg said. “I think I’ve actually been very sloppy through these first three games (including two exhibitions) with the ball in my hands, and there’s a lot to clean up on. The rest of basketball is just trying to make the right play.”
Knueppel’s profile is bound to grow this season as observers arrive to assess Flagg and evaluate other players as well.
“He’s a multi-dimensional player,” Scheyer said of Knueppel. “The scoring was great, but I thought his defense was really good. If teams collapse, he’s a really good passer, and he just plays every possession.”
Army’s first game was a 67-59 home victory Monday against Albany, with Josh Scovens scoring a team-high 22 points.
“Great win for our guys,” Army coach Kevin Kuwik said. “Took some punches but stayed in the center of the ring and kept swinging.”
The game at Duke will be a homecoming of sorts for Scovens, a sophomore who played in high school for Greensboro Page, about an hour’s drive from Duke’s campus.
Duke’s games against Army used to hold a special meaning because former Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski is a former Army player and coach. Friday’s matchup might have a different feel since the Hall of Fame coach won’t be on the Blue Devils’ bench.
The Black Knights and Blue Devils will meet for the first time since November 2021, when Duke won 82-56.