TUCSON, Ariz.—Just 10 days passed between Duke’s first two ranked matchups. Ten days since Duke got beat in the second half of the Champion’s Classic against Kentucky, putting up 20 fewer points in the final frame than in the first. It was an offensive disaster as the team finished 10-for-34 from the floor and only knocked down one 3-pointer. That loss didn’t happen all at once; what had been a nine-point lead at halftime fell, then rose back up. The then-sixth-ranked Blue Devils didn’t trail until 2:40, but then-No. 19 Kentucky never let Duke get comfortable.
Coming out of the break in McKale Memorial Center, Duke nursed a seven-point lead. Within a minute and a half, Arizona had cut it to three and forced two Blue Devil turnovers. It seemed like history was going to repeat itself, and that the Wildcats would keep themselves within striking distance into the final minutes.
Instead, Duke knocked down its shots. It capitalized on a Trey Townsend turnover with a strong drive and layup from Cooper Flagg. The rookie reeled in Arizona’s next two misses, and the guards were on target as Caleb Foster and Kon Knueppel hit from downtown. For the first time that night, but not the last, the Blue Devils had a double-digit lead on their opponent. They could breathe just a little bit.
The biggest advantage for head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad? Its size.
The Wildcats make their living in the offensive glass. Head coach Tommy Lloyd’s group is second in the nation in offensive rebounds, but four of their starters are 6-foot-6 and shorter. Center Motiejus Krivas, at 7-foot-2, and the rotation forwards had to battle Duke’s bigs, and the visitors came out on top. They held Arizona to a season-low six offensive rebounds, something its opponents only did three times last year.
“To be able to outrebound a Tommy Lloyd basketball team at Arizona, I think is a credit to these guys in the fight that they had,” Scheyer said.
In total, the Blue Devils outrebounded the Wildcats 43-30. Thirteen of those came at the hands of transfers Maliq Brown and Sion James. James’ presence, especially, was a much-needed boost for the young squad.
“Sion, man, is just a jack of all trades,” Scheyer said. “He does everything for us.”
The former Tulane guard was a force in his undergraduate career, starting all 31 games in each of his junior and senior seasons. He has stepped up in big moments, including a 28-point performance in the Green Wave’s AAC Tournament exit to North Texas, and was the conference’s first two-time Sportsmanship Award winner. Last week, James was sidelined with a shoulder injury during the second half against Kentucky.
“To get a guy in his fifth year, who’s scored a lot of points at Tulane and all that, to not be about numbers, to just be about winning, is unique,” Scheyer said.
Knueppel tied James with seven rebounds to pace Duke. The freshman is lauded for his shooting, but had an off night against Kentucky, going 1-for-8 from outside the arc. The first half against Arizona was more of the same.
“If your competitiveness and your toughness is consistent, it’s only a matter of time…” Scheyer said. “I thought Kon really showed that.”
Consistent the Wisconsin native was. In 18 minutes of play in the second half, Knueppel scored 11, connected on 3-of-4 3-pointers, pulled down five boards and had three assists. The forward followed his shots and was able to capitalize on the looks his teammates got him. He’ll have better scoring nights, as Scheyer added, but after being held to two points in the second half against Kentucky, 11 second-half points was the boost his team needed.
Kentucky wasn’t the only fuel for the Blue Devils to draw from. Last November, Duke traveled to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks in the first ACC/SEC challenge. Bud Walton Arena got the better of them. The only two current players who played in that game are junior Tyrese Proctor and Foster. In that one, it was close throughout the first, though Arkansas went into the break with the advantage. However, in the second, the Razorbacks burst ahead, and a last-second push from the Blue Devils was for naught. Entering McKale, Proctor remembered that feeling.
“Second half was a big thing that we struggled with last year and in the Kentucky game,” Proctor said. “So just coming out and staying disciplined, and when it’s not going the best, just huddling and bringing everyone in and making sure we’re on the same page.”
This time, they were.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
| Sports Managing Editor
Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle’s 120th volume.
