INJURY UPDATE: Duke Dominates Maine 96-62, But Cooper Flagg’s Injury Scare Keeps Fans on Edge

While Cooper Flagg didn’t score the most points for Duke, his college debut was successful and valuable until only three minutes and 28 seconds were left in the game. While Duke was wrapping up a 96-62 victory against Maine at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the 6-9 Flagg tried to make a strong move for a layup through the lane. He failed to make the shot, and as he touched down on the ground, the potential top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft motioned for assistance from the sidelines, showing signs of a leg cramp in his left leg.

With the crowd full of anticipation, Jose Fonseca, the athletic trainer for Duke, carefully moved and twisted Flagg’s left foot. Flagg, the impressive freshman, then cautiously made his way to the bench. He sipped on some water and chatted happily with Duke coach Jon Scheyer. Flagg stated that it was only his calf that cramped up as he was making the final layup. “I’m doing well.” Simply a small muscle spasm. I need to drink more water.”

Flagg did not come back to the one-sided match, ending with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Flagg acknowledged feeling additional emotions when playing against the Black Bears (0-1) due to his mother’s college basketball history there and his upbringing near their campus in Newport, Maine.

Flagg mentioned that it was slightly emotional for him to see the Maine team wearing their jersey with the state’s name across their chest, especially since he had watched them play as a child. Seeing them evoked a multitude of emotions within me, especially knowing it was the inaugural real game, making it an intense emotional experience for me.

Duke freshman Kon Knueppel was the top scorer with 22 points, while five other players also scored in double digits for the Blue Devils (1-0). Knueppel and Flagg were joined by Proctor and Foster as double-figure scorers who started for Duke, with 10 and 11 points respectively.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer kept Flagg on the court for 29 minutes and 51 seconds, marking the second-longest playing time for a Duke player in the game. However, this was intentional as the 17-year-old prodigy adapts to the college basketball environment. Scheyer mentioned wanting to understand the level of intensity required to play for extended periods of time. We will need him in that place. Our medical team will closely advise him on how to improve hydration and related matters. However, I am pleased that it occurred, solely for the opportunity to comprehend the difficulty of it.

Duke scored at a rate of 55.6% and held Maine to a shooting percentage of 37%, with only 25% in the second half. The Black Bears had difficulty dealing with Duke’s aggressive defense, making 14 turnovers and only managing to get four assists.

This Duke team has the potential to swiftly defeat an opponent by securing defensive stops and converting them into points in a brief timespan. On Monday evening, during the first half, the Blue Devils went on a 14-0 run in just under two minutes.

The explosion occurred when Christopher Mantis from Maine made a 3-point shot, giving Duke a 12-9 lead. Knueppel initiated the action by grabbing a missed shot from Flagg and scoring at the 14:17 mark, contributing nine out of the 14 points in the sequence. Following Mantis’s failed attempt from beyond the arc, Knueppel successfully made a shot in front of the Maine bench.

Flagg stole the ball at the mid-court line, resulting in a foul that led to him making two free throws. Maliq Brown intercepted another pass from Maine to initiate a counterattack and passed the ball to Knueppel, who made a 3-point shot while also being fouled. The ball went smoothly through the net, giving him the opportunity to score a free throw as part of a four-point play. At 12:24, Mason Gillis scored a 3-point shot from the corner, and Duke quickly advanced to a 26-9 lead.

Scheyer expressed his belief that they were following the Duke basketball style by defending well, converting it into offense, locating open teammates, and taking shots with confidence. When they enter, you might have an opportunity to go on a few of those runs. I believe this team has the ability to achieve that.

SPELL FOR DUKE’S FIRST HALF IN DISORDER

Following the 17-point jump, the Blue Devils went into halftime with a 44-33 lead. However, that was definitely a letdown.

Maine was about to be defeated by a large margin, but then they scored nine straight points against Duke. During a period lasting seven minutes, Duke only scored three field goals. When Kellen Tynes from Maine scored a free throw at the 5-minute mark in the half, Duke’s lead was reduced to single digits at 33-25. Duke started the game by making eight out of its first 10 shots before going through a prolonged period of cold shooting.

However, due to the offense performing poorly, Knueppel was the sole Duke player to score more than ten points in the first half. Duke let Maine have more rebounds in the first half, but then took control in the second half to finish with a bigger advantage in that stat.

Notes on the Starting Lineup and Player Rotation.

Scheyer started the same five players against Maine as he did in the team’s last exhibition game, where they defeated Arizona State 103-47 on Oct. 27. On Monday, just like he did on that evening, Scheyer put Flagg, Knueppel, Proctor, Foster, and Khaman Maluach in the starting lineup. Brown, who began the game for Duke against Division II Lincoln (Pa.) on Oct. 19, was the first player to come off the bench for Duke. At the 17:09 mark of the first half, the junior transfer from Syracuse took over for Maluach. Scheyer made a substitution, bringing in Gillis for Proctor with 16:03 remaining in the half and had Sion James prepared to substitute for Foster. However, Foster’s missed free throw delayed James from checking in until the next break at 14:58.

Scheyer’s plan was to utilize three players from his bench before the game reached the under-16 official timeout. Freshman Isaiah Evans was the only other Duke player to see action in the first half, playing for 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Each Blue Devils player who participated in the game played at least nine minutes in the first half. Scheyer returned to the starting lineup in the second half with Duke ahead 44-33, which is typical unless there is an injury or a significant decline in performance. Once more, he replaced Maluach with Brown initially, executing that decision with 16:10 left in the game.