Duke Basketball continued to dominate non-conference opponents from non-power 5 conferences, defeating the Army Black Knights 100-58.
The freshman duo of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel continued to make their mark, scoring 13 and 15 points respectively. Flagg added 11 rebounds, recording a double-double in the first half. Duke (2-0) was led defensively by Khaman Maluach, recording 14 boards, with 6 of them coming on the offensive side. Those offensive rebounds helped the Blue Devils score 17 second-chance points, giving Duke their 28th straight victory against a non-conference opponent from a non-power 5 conference.
“It’s easy to take for granted when you have a sold-out arena all the time,” said third-year head coach Jon Scheyer. “Our students, our fans, to pull up to the gym this morning and see people camping out, not just for one game, but for every game.”
Army (1-1) was led by Jalen Rucker, who put up 17 points in his second game back after missing all of last season, Josh Scovens, who had taken up the offensive mantel, added 16 points and seven rebounds to try and keep the Black Knights in the game.
Takeaway #1: Flagg getting off to a better start
In Duke’s season opener against Maine, the freshman out of Newport, M.E. did not get his first field goal until less than eight minutes left in the first half. Against Army, he scored within the first minute of the game with a three-pointer to lead all scorers with 13 points.
1st double-double for Coop in his 2nd game (13 pts, 11 rebs)
65-36 😈 | 11:28 to go pic.twitter.com/nVgxKjYGtp
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 9, 2024
Flagg made three attempts from beyond the arc, hitting two of them. In the second half, however, he only saw six minutes to play due to suffering from cramps. Scheyer was talked about needing to help him out with that but was impressed with his first-half performance.
“That first half, he was just really controlling the whole game with his rebounding, his passing, his playmaking, his scoring.
He was assertive shooting the ball,” Scheyer said.
Takeaway #2: Army’s offense looks to be a two-man show
When Rucker was away from the team last season, Scovens took over the reins as the leading offensive threat. The sophomore forward out of Greensboro, N.C. was one of two Black Knight players to record double-digit point totals.
Curry➡️Scovens
Textbook basketball 😙🤌@accnetwork #TTD pic.twitter.com/9f0S5r3XGO
— Army Men’s Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) November 9, 2024
Rucker also added 17 points, adding another wrinkle to the offensive attack. Outside of those two, no Army player recorded more than six points.
“It’s nice to have him back on the court from that standpoint.,” said second-year head coach Kevin Kuwik “The way he approaches things on and off the court, I couldn’t be prouder of that guy.”
For Army to get in contention for the Patriot League title, they will need to have more of a balanced offensive attack. AJ Allenspach, who added six points, only logged close to 20 minutes.
Takeaway #3: Duke will continue to dominate the glass
Having a player Khaman Maluach on your roster definitely does not hurt. The freshman from South Sudan, fresh off an appearance in the Paris Olympics, recorded a game-high 14 rebounds.
“I’m getting there one step at a time with the college game,” Maluach said. “It’s a different game, but I feel like I’m catching up every game. I knew it was going to be different, and I wasn’t scared of the change, so I knew a lot of stuff was going to be different and I had to just adapt to it.”
Maliq Brown, a transfer from Syracuse, added 7 boards off the bench.
The first two games of this season have shown that, even with roster turnover, Duke will continue to be strong on the boards. This will be put to the test on Tuesday against Kentucky.
“We try to focus on whatever game is next, so this time, it’s Kentucky,” said graduate guard Sion James after scoring 12 points off the bench. “We know we’ve got a long season, but a journey of a thousand steps starts with one. We’re just going to keep going one game at a time.”
Next Up for Duke (1-0): vs. Kentucky (at Atlanta) (1-0) – Nov. 12 at 9 p.m. EST
Next Up for Army (1-0): vs. Mount Saint Mary College (Division III) – Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. EST