Tag: Duke basketball

How has Caleb Love played against the Duke Blue Devils across his career?

With one last battle against Caleb Love on the horizon, how has the former UNC star played against Duke in eight career games?

The Duke Blue Devils get one final chance at comeuppance against one of their most prominent rivals on Friday night. While the Arizona Wildcats are a worthy adversary, all of the attention in Durham will be focused on taking down former North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love.

Love spent three seasons with UNC before he transferred to Tucson ahead of the 2023-24 season, and he’s been a thorn in the Cameron Crazies’ side for years.

He played the villain in two of the biggest games in program history in 2022, scoring 22 points to defeat legendary coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] in his final home game before notching 28 points in a Final Four victory over the Blue Devils just one month later. He returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium with his new school last November and once again emerged with a win, as he’s done in five of his eight career games against the Blue Devils.

Love averaged 16.9 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in those games, but if Duke basketball fans want a silver lining, he’s been remarkably inefficient in those outings. He’s made just 11 of his 46 attempts (23.9%) from distance over the last seven meetings, and he’s shot a measly 29/84 (34.5%) from the floor in the last six. With the fifth-year senior shooting 35.1% this season and making just 26.3% of his 3-pointers, there’s little reason to think that trend changes on Friday.

No regular-season victory can erase the torment Love exacted on the Blue Devils a few years ago, but it would be undeniably sweet to end the rivalry with one last win.

Staff predictions for Friday’s matchup between Duke basketball and Arizona

Duke basketball is gearing up to take on Arizona this Friday. Check out our Duke Wire staff predictions for the game.

Duke basketball fans probably felt (understandably) disheartened after Tuesday’s loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

With phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and three other five-star freshmen arriving on campus, the Cameron Crazies had visions of a dominant season that ended with a banner. However, first-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope and his team outscored the Blue Devils 24-11 over the closing stretch for a 77-72 win in the team’s first ranked test on the schedule.

However, the hard truth is that national analysts and fans won’t remember that game by March. The team might not even remember it by the end of the regular season. There’s no faster way to shorten everyone’s memories than with another top-25 win, and the Blue Devils get two chances at one of those in the next week.

First up, a road trip to Tucson for a revenge battle against No. 17 Arizona. The Wildcats, now anchored by former North Carolina Tar Heels star Caleb Love, left Durham with a win last November, and head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] now hopes to return the favor. Here are our staff predictions for Friday’s showdown.

Ryan Haley, Duke Wire site editor

The most important aspect of this game has been pretty overlooked so far this week: this isn’t the same Arizona team that beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Oumar Ballo and Kylan Boswell both transferred, and Keshad Johnson and Pelle Larsson now play professionally. Even with former Tennessee Volunteer Tobe Awaka and some returners stepping forward, that production and leadership will take time to rebuild.

The Blue Devils won’t just get this game handed to them, however. Someone other than Flagg needs to step up down the stretch. The 17-year-old scored 12 of Duke’s last 14 points against Kentucky, and an offensive plan that entirely revolves around him playing hero ball won’t work against the best teams ahead.

With that said, however, I firmly believe Duke’s pathetic 4/24 3-point showing against the Wildcats was a blue-moon event. If the Blue Devils put together even a slightly-below-average game, they’d be undefeated, and that gets rectified in Tucson.

Duke 79, Arizona 61

Bryant Crews, Staff Writer

Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils hit the road for their first true road game of the 2024-25 season, and as every college basketball watcher knows, those games are always challenging. Pit two top-25 teams against each other and toss in that revenge is on the mind for one with Love, a legendary Duke villain, potentially lacing up his kicks for the last time against a school he has terrorized, and you have a marquee matchup.

These are two gifted teams with talent on both sides. Scheyer scheduled games like these to test and push his squad so that come March and April; the Blue Devils could be ready for a run for the national title. Even though this isn’t a neutral site game, it already has a second weekend of the NCAA Tournament-type feel in November.

Duke is the better team, in my opinion, and still has a substantial amount of room to go. If this were a neutral site, people would be less inclined to think Arizona wins, but Duke’s depth and high-end talent tip the scales even without home-court advantage.

Caleb Foster has to show up, and if Kon Knueppel hits even 25% more shots than he did against Kentucky, Duke should do this by multiple possessions. I don’t see Arizona containing Duke from deep for another 4/24 performance like Atlanta. While Arizona will try to bully the youngster Khaman Maluach inside with older post players, Maluach holds his ground and has three blocks while pulling down at least eight boards.

Sion James and Mason Gillis combined for four made threes off the bench as the Blue Devils roll.

Duke 78, Arizona 71

Josiah Caswell, Staff Writer

Duke’s 2024-25 season has started off strong, but not without blemishes. Despite three blowout victories over weaker competition, the Blue Devils fell short in their matchup with Kentucky.

The Wildcats’ high-percentage performance played a big reason in that loss. Additionally, Flagg struggled in the final seconds despite an overall good game.

Now, Duke goes on the road for the first time against the Wildcats and Love just one year after they took down the Blue Devils in Durham.

Arizona is in a similar spot to Duke, though. Following two massive blowout victories over lesser competition, Arizona fell 103-88 to the Wisconsin Badgers. Love, notably, went 2/13 from the field and 0/6 from behind the arc.

If Arizona is to bounce back and take down Duke, they’ll need to up their 3-point percentage and improve their defense. If the Wildcats let someone on Duke put up 40 points, they certainly won’t be winning.

Duke 86, Arizona 77

Duke basketball no longer a No. 1 seed in ESPN Bracketology after Kentucky loss

After the Duke Blue Devils lost for the first time last week, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi dropped them down to a No. 3 seed in his projected bracket.

There are a lot of important basketball games between now and March, especially the two coming within the next week, but the Duke Blue Devils lost their grip on a No. 1 seed in the ESPN NCAA Bracketology on Tuesday.

Longtime bracket expert Joe Lunardi knocked Duke down to the No. 3 in the South region after its loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, slotting them behind the Auburn Tigers and Iowa State Cyclones.

The Blue Devils could shake up the order themselves over the next seven days. Duke plays Arizona, whom Lunardi slotted in as a No. 4 seed, on the road this Friday before a neutral-site game against top overall seed Kansas. One or two wins between those two games could make the Kentucky loss less consequential.

Connecticut and Gonzaga filled in the remaining two No. 1 spots. The Wildcats joined Duke on the No. 3 seed line, and the North Carolina Tar Heels fell down to a No. 4 seed after their loss to the Jayhawks.

How has Arizona basketball star Caleb Love performed ahead of Duke’s Friday matchup?

With Duke set to face Arizona this week, how has former UNC Tar Heels star Caleb Love performed to start the season?

On Friday, Duke basketball will face former North Carolina Tar Heels guard [autotag]Caleb Love[/autotag] once again in a road game against the Arizona Wildcats.

Love spent three seasons in Chapel Hill before transferring to the Wildcats, most notably scoring 28 points to send the Blue Devils home in the 2022 Final Four. He returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2023 with his new team, helping Arizona pull off a 78-73 victory.

In 2024, however, the matchup will be between two teams coming off of tough losses in the last week. For Duke, it was a Tuesday loss to Kentucky Wildcats, while Arizona lost to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Through three games this season, Love has averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 35.1% from the floor. Let’s break down his performance in the first three games.

Against the Canisius Golden Griffins to open the season, Love played 21 minutes, going 7/15 (46.7%) from the field to finish with 17 points. He was 3/8 (37.5%) from 3-point range and grabbed four rebounds with six assists, both season-highs.

Against Old Dominion, Love played 23 minutes and scored 10 points after he shot 4/9 (44.4%) from the field. He went 2/5 (40.0%) from deep with three rebounds and one assist.

Finally, against the Badgers, Love had the worst performance of his season thus far. He played 25 minutes, a season-high, but only managed six points after he went 2-13 (15.4%) from the field. He missed all six of his 3-point looks, but he did add two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Andrew Carr named SEC Player Of The Week after their Duke win

Kentucky basketball forward Andrew Carr was named SEC Player of the Week.

Following a stellar effort last week, Kentucky basketball forward Andrew Carr has been rewarded.

Carr was named SEC Player of the week following a strong performance in Kentucky’s 77-72 win over Duke on November 13.

The Wildcat forward scored a season high 17 points in the win — which was Kentucky’s only matchup of the week. He also chipped in six rebounds, three assists, and a block against the Blue Devils.

Carr also proved to be crucial defensively, guarding Duke phenom Cooper Flagg towards the end of the matchup.

Related: Five things learned in the win over Duke

Tied at 72 with 26 seconds left in the game, Carr forced Flagg — who was driving inside — to his left. Wildcat guard Otega Oweh stole the ball, forcing a Duke foul and free throws that eventually won the game.

With the accolade, Carr becomes the first SEC Player of the week of the Mark Pope era. It’s his second career player of the week honor, as he also earned one at Wake Forrest in January of 2023.

The Wake Forrest transfer has been crucial in Pope’s first year — averaging 13 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game. The forward has also been incredibly efficient through the Wildcats’ first three games, shooting 68.4% from the field and 60% flat from three.

Carr spent his first two years at Delaware, where he became a regular starter in his second season. In 2022, the forward transferred to Wake Forrest — playing two years with the Demon Deacons before heading to Pope’s first-year Kentucky program.

Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg named ACC Rookie of the Week after 26-point game

Duke basketball picked up its second straight ACC Rookie of the Week award on Monday, this time given to superstar forward Cooper Flagg.

Duke basketball picked up a second straight ACC Rookie of the Week nomination when [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] picked up the award on Monday.

Flagg drew some scrutiny after two late turnovers in Tuesday’s loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, but he was the only Blue Devil to make a shot from the floor over the final 10 minutes in the 77-72 defeat. He finished that game with 26 points, his highest total so far this season, and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

While Flagg only tallied eight points during Saturday’s blowout win over Wofford, he also racked up nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks against the Terriers.

Through his first four games, Flagg is averaging 16.3 points. 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 blocks.

[autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag], another member of the vaunted 2024 recruiting class, picked up the award after the first two games of the season. The Wisconsin native, one of four five-star freshmen on the roster, led the Blue Devils in scoring after he put together 22 points in the opener against Maine and 15 points against Army.

Duke basketball drops from the top 10 of the AP Poll after Kentucky loss

Despite their big win over Wofford this weekend, the Duke Blue Devils couldn’t stay in the top 10 of the AP Poll on Monday.

The Associated Press revealed the updated men’s basketball AP Poll on Monday, and the Duke Blue Devils slipped down to 12th after their Tuesday loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Superstar freshman Cooper Flagg scored 26 points in the loss, but two costly turnovers on the final two possessions helped the Wildcats erase a nine-point halftime deficit. Kentucky, now led by first-year head coach Mark Pope, vaulted up 10 spots to No. 9 thanks to the win.

Duke’s tumble also meant that the North Carolina Tar Heels emerged as the highest-ranked ACC team. UNC lost one of its first three games as well, but the 92-89 road loss to top-ranked Kansas kept the Tar Heels at No. 10.

The Jayhawks, whom Duke plays on Tuesday in Las Vegas, remain firmly in front of the rankings. Kansas received 49 out of a possible 61 first-place votes, keeping them above the Connecticut Huskies, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers, and Iowa State Cyclones in the top five.

Duke’s next opponent, the Arizona Wildcats, dropped eight spots to 17th after a loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Duke basketball narrowly hangs within the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

The Duke Blue Devils (barely) stayed within the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Men’s College Basketball Coaches Poll.

Despite suffering their first loss of the season on Tuesday, the Duke Blue Devils grabbed the last spot within the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll on Monday.

Head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] and his team obliterated Wofford at Cameron Indoor Stadium over the weekend, but the performance won’t be enough to erase lingering doubts created by the midweek defeat. The Kentucky Wildcats outscored Duke 24-11 over the final 10 minutes to steal a 77-72 win, and superstar freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] turned the ball over twice on the last two possessions after scoring 26 points.

If Scheyer and the Blue Devils want a chance to erase that memory from all the voters, however, they’ll have chances over the next week. Duke’s next two opponents both sit within the top 20 with Arizona at No. 17 and the Kansas Jayhawks still in the top spot.

Check out the complete results of this week’s coaches poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Kansas 4-0 665 (21)
2 UConn 3-0 632 (3)
3 Auburn 3-0 608 (2)
4 Gonzaga 3-0 599 (1)
5 Iowa State 2-0 516
6 Purdue 4-0 513
7 Houston 2-1 470
7 Alabama 3-1 470
9 Tennessee 4-0 462
10 Duke 3-1 421
11 Kentucky 3-0 381
12 North Carolina 2-1 377
13 Creighton 4-0 348
14 Marquette 4-0 319
15 Baylor 3-1 313
16 Cincinnati 3-0 229
17 Arizona 2-1 228
18 Indiana 3-0 208
19 Florida 4-0 168
20 Illinois 3-0 133
21 St. John’s 4-0 119
22 Texas Tech 3-0 95
23 Texas A&M 3-1 94
24 Arkansas 2-1 82
25 Wisconsin 4-0 75

Dropped Out

No. 22 Ohio State; No. 24 Rutgers

Receiving Votes

Rutgers 56; Xavier 43; Ole Miss 39; BYU 28; Saint Mary’s 18; Pittsburgh 18; Texas 14; Michigan State 9; Mississippi State 5; Oregon 4; Nevada 4; Ohio State 3; Dayton 3; Wake Forest 2; VCU 2; UCF 2

Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum hits game-winner against Toronto Raptors

Jayson Tatum came through again for the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] delivered for the Boston Celtics again on Saturday night, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime for a 126-123 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Tatum, fresh off his first NBA championship with the Celtics last season, seemed to be waiting for teammate Jaylen Brown on a pick-and-roll play, but Brown fell to the floor after making contact with a defender. The former Blue Devil improvised, creating a small amount of space with a few dribbles before launching a shot from close to the midcourt logo.

It found its mark, and the home crowd at TD Garden erupted.

Tatum finished the game with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Toronto forward RJ Barrett, another former Duke Blue Devil, notched a triple-double for the Raptors with 25 points. 15 assists, and 10 rebounds.

The third overall pick from the 2017 NBA draft could be in line for a fourth straight All-NBA First Team nomination. Through 14 games, Tatum is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

What Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer had to say about Patrick Ngongba’s debut

Duke basketball freshman Patrick Ngongba made his debut on Saturday. Here’s what head coach Jon Scheyer thought of his performance.

Another member of the 2024 Duke basketball recruiting class introduced himself to the Cameron Crazies on Saturday, and head coach Jon Scheyer sounded happy with what he saw.

Patrick Ngongba, a 6-foot-11 center from St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia, checked in for the first time this season during Saturday’s win over Wofford. In just 11 minutes on the court, he finished with two points, six rebounds (five of which came on the offensive glass), two assists, and a steal.

His best sequence of the game came in the final three minutes of the first half when he won two contested offensive rebounds, batting the ball back toward a teammate on the perimeter until fellow freshman Isaiah Evans eventually buried a 3-pointer.

“I’ve watched Pat play for some time now,” Scheyer said after the game. “His feel and instincts as a (6 foot 11 inch) guy with a (7 foot 3 inch) wingspan, or whatever it is, is rare. His ability is special.”

The four-star prospect sat out the first three games of the season with a foot injury, an issue that hindered him in high school as well. Scheyer took time to make sure those behind the scenes helping the young Blue Devil get ready heard their flowers.

“Our medical team has done an incredible job with him,” he said. “Incredible. And it would have been very easy to try to rush him and get him back out there as soon as possible, but our thing was, he’s been through a lot in high school, how can we get him out there pain-free?”

However, if the Cameron Crazies want more time with Ngongba on the court, they might need to wait until his sophomore campaign.

“It’s going to be limited minutes this year,” Scheyer said point-blank. “It just is. We’re cautious with his loads in practice and the science behind it all.”

Despite that, however, Ngongba’s brief time on the court spelled 7-footer Khaman Maluach. With superstar forward Cooper Flagg and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown both alongside him, Scheyer had three different players at least 6 feet 9 inches tall on the court at one time. The addition of another center, especially one as productive as Ngongba looked on Saturday, can’t be overstated.

“He’s going to continue to grow,” Scheyer concluded. “I understand with him, there’s still going to be some rust. That’s his first game, there’s going to be some rust that he’s got to work through, but I love what he did.”