Tag: Mark Mitchell

BREAKING: Duke lands commitment from Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown

Duke lands it first transfer of the offseason as former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown commits.

After a week of nothing but departures from its program, Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils are finally playing offense in the NCAA transfer portal.

Former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown committed to Duke on Saturday afternoon, per On3 Sports’ Joe Tipton.

Brown, a four-star recruit, spent his first two collegiate seasons in Syracuse, where he played sparingly as a freshman. This past season, as a sophomore, the 6-foot-8 forward started 16 games for the Orange and was their de facto center after an Achilles injury sidelined starter Naheem McLeod for the season. Brown posted 9.5 points and grabbed 7.2 boards per game.

Brown’s game is defense, hustle, and finishing at a high rate around the rim. He shot nearly 70% from the field in both his freshman and sophomore years, and his 71.3% effective field-goal percentage was the highest in the ACC, according to KenPom.

He was an ACC All-Defensive Team nominee this season and led the conference with 2.2 steals per game last year. He’s a high-level athlete who will give Duke versatility as a small-ball five or by playing his natural spot at power forward.

Brown has already shown the Duke staff what he can do, scoring 28 points against Duke in Cameron this past season. Brown started his visit to Duke earlier in the week, and the rest was history. He didn’t visit anywhere else before ultimately committing on Saturday afternoon.

Brown will fill the void left by Mark Mitchell and Sean Stewart’s departures. He also brings another veteran presence and voice to a team that will add six freshmen in the summer and will need a lot of leadership as they attempt to gel.

ESPN lists Duke as the No. 1 team in their Way-Too-Early Top 25

Duke the top team in the country in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

Less than 48 hours after Dan Hurley’s Connecticut Huskies completed one of the rare college basketball feats of repeating as national champions, the page has already turned to 2024-25 for the rest of the college basketball world.

ESPN made sure to get its Way-Too-Early Top 25 up late on Monday night, and the number one team in those rankings resides in Durham, NC.

Duke bowed out of the NCAA Tournament this season in the Elite Eight to an NC State team that spent the last 12 games playing incredibly inspired basketball. Duke led in the first half, but State overwhelmed Duke with incredible shotmaking and suffocating defense in the second half to send the Blue Devils home.

Duke is now in the process of reflecting and retooling for next year. There’s a renewed energy around the program as Scheyer will welcome the nation’s top recruiting class, highlighted by one of the most heralded number one high school basketball players since LeBron James, forward Cooper Flagg.

ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello, who put the rankings together, said this about his decision to put the Blue Devils at the top spot.

“Duke entered this past season as a national title contender, but never quite seemed to put it all together for an extended stretch and ultimately fell in the Elite Eight. Jon Scheyer will have two of the best NBA prospects in the country next season, in No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg and projected top-five NBA draft pick Khaman Maluach, but the Blue Devils could have point guard issues if Jeremy Roach decides not to take advantage of his fifth option year.”

Borzello also published a projected starting five that featured Flagg, Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster, Mark Mitchell, and Maluach. The issue is that Mitchell announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday afternoon, so he will not be on the 2024-25 version of the Duke Blue Devils. Duke will likely opt to find a shooter to help space the floor with Flagg and also give those minutes vacated by Mitchell to rising sophomore Sean Stewart should he opt to return.

Tyrese Proctor has not announced whether he plans to enter the portal, opt for professional opportunities, or return to Duke. If we assume Proctor returns, he’s likely a captain and must leap like Wendell Moore. There’s a lot of talent there, but it needs to become consistent. A decision from Jeremy Roach also remains up in the air, and having a fifth-year senior could be massive.

All that aside, Duke plans to utilize the transfer portal, too, so Duke’s roster construction for next year is far from done, with more names expected on their way out, i.e., Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, expected to be drafted in the first round.

Mark Mitchell to enter the transfer portal

Duke sophomore Mark Mitchell, who averaged 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds last season, will enter the transfer portal.

Duke sophomore Mark Mitchell will enter the transfer portal, as first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton on Tuesday.

Mitchell started 67 games for the Blue Devils over the past two years. He averaged 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds this past season, and he finished with three double-doubles.

The second-year forward scored a season-high 23 points against both Notre Dame and Wake Forest, two of his five 20-point games.

Mitchell also turned heads for his surprising 3-point efficiency late in the season. After he made just one of his first 22 attempts from beyond the arc, he made 10 of his last 18. He made two triples against both the Fighting Irish and Boston College in the regular season and two more against NC State in the ACC Tournament.

The decision to leave Durham is unsurprising for the starter given the 2024 recruiting class. Five-star forwards Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, two projected lottery picks in the 2025 NBA draft, will almost assuredly start as freshmen.

Mitchell is the second Duke player to enter the transfer portal this offseason after Christian Reeves announced his intent to leave earlier this month.

Mark Mitchell, Duke grind out 64-47 win over Vermont to advance to Round of 32

Duke grinds out 64-47 win over Vemront to move on to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

It was not pretty, but it was more than adequate.

Duke’s defense and a balanced scoring effort featuring four players in double figures were enough for the Blue Devils to beat Vermont 64-47 on Friday evening and advance to the round of 32.

Duke dropped its last two games leading up to the NCAA Tournament as they slid from fighting for a chance at a 2-seed to landing on the 4-seed line come Selection Sunday. The reasoning had everything to do with Duke’s play against its in-state rivals, UNC and NC State, in its final two games. The Blue Devils didn’t look like themselves, and it showed on the court. As they prepared for their first-round matchup against a tough Vermont team, Duke needed a level of toughness they hadn’t shown in weeks.

On Friday night, they showcased that as they held America East Conference champions to just 47 total points, including 18 in the second half.

The offense was hardly fluid, but early on, sophomore Mark Mitchell terrorized Vermont in ball screens as he repeatedly rolled to the basket, finishing with 11 first-half points and four dunks. Vermont opted to double Kyle Filipowski on every post touch. While the 7-footer finished with just one shot attempt from the field, he impacted the game in every other category, collecting 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks.

Vermont made a late push at the end of the first half to go into the break with Duke leading 34-29.

The two teams struggled to put the ball in the basket in the first eight minutes of the second half, and Duke scored on just one of their first five possessions.

Vermont cut the Blue Devils’ lead to 36-34, possessing the ball with a chance to tie or even take the lead, only to see Nick Fiorillo miss a 3-pointer that would have put the Catamounts out in front.

McCain answered with a 3-pointer for Duke, and when Proctor added a 3-pointer with 14:46 to play, Duke led 42-35.

For the remainder of the second half, Duke kept Vermont at arm’s length thanks to defense and inspired play from senior captain Jeremy Roach, who added 10 of his 14 points in the final ten minutes of the second half.

Jared McCain provided 15 points on 4/9 shooting, while Tyrese Proctor added 13 points. Shamir Bogues and Aaron Deloney led the way for Vermont with 18 and 14 points, respectively.

Duke needed to get back in transition, and they did that. They were also +12 in rebounding, holding Vermont to one shot on over half of their possessions.

With Duke’s win, they move on to Sunday’s second-round matchups, where they will face the winner of James Madison and Wisconsin.

Starting fast and getting back on defense in transition key to a Duke win vs. Vermont

Three keys to a Duke win over Vermont.

Duke has departed Durham and arrived in Brooklyn as it prepares for its first-round NCAA Tournament game against the Vermont Catamounts.

Duke’s season has been an up-and-down affair, but the Blue Devils can change the entire narrative in six games. They’ll do so without a piece of their depth in freshman guard Caleb Foster, but make no mistake: the Blue Devils have plenty of offensive firepower to make a run in this tournament.

Their opponents are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament. The Catamounts will not be intimidated, considering this will be their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance out of the America East conference.

With tournament experience under their belt, expect the Catamounts and coach John Becker to fight.

With that said, Duke has the talent and size advantage, and barring a nightmarish day, they should advance. However, there are a few keys we wanted to lock in on that should help the Blue Devils push through to the round of 32 and get one win closer to a Sweet 16 appearance.

Dominate the Glass

If it sounds simple, it’s because it is. Duke has no reason not to dominate the glass in this contest. Vermont’s leading rebounder is a 6-foot-4 guard named Shamir Bogues. The Blue Devils have a starting point guard who is 6-foot-5. They start the 6-foot-9 Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski is a full 7-foot. There’s no reason that Duke should not be +12 or more in rebounding by the end of this game, especially with Sean Stewart and Ryan Young coming off the bench. Eliminating second-chance points is an easy way to shut off the offense for a team that doesn’t need extra opportunities. If Vermont tosses a shot up, that should be their only shot of the possession.

Start Fast

This may be the most essential key to this game. This is the NCAA Tournament, and anything can happen if you play with your food. Duke needs to set the tone early. Race out to an early lead by the under-16 media timeout, or the under-12 at the latest, and keep the foot on the gas. If Vermont is within three possessions by halftime, things could get dicey in that Duke locker room. The doubt would settle in on one side while belief would rise in Vermont’s, and after that, all bets are off. Duke needs a fast start like they had last year against Oral Roberts.

Get back on defense

Jordan Mann, a former collegiate basketball player who breaks down Duke games and their opponents, laid out an interesting stat. Vermont is in the 99th percentile across Division I basketball in points per possession via transition offense.

They shoot 71% from inside the 3-point line in transition and 40% behind it.

Make or miss, Duke needs to get back and set its defense up. While many talk about Duke’s offensive efficiency, they remain in the top 25 defense in adjusted efficiency per KenPom, meaning Duke can play some defense when they are willing and engaged. If they play defense that way come Friday, they will be fine.

Duke is well-positioned to win this game. It ultimately will come down to how well Duke starts this game and if Jon Scheyer’s team can impose its will early and often. Duke should see itself coasting into Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 if they can do that.

Duke’s Saturday game against Wake Forest officially sold out

The Blue Devils will play Wake Forest in front of a sold-out road crowd on Saturday.

The Blue Devils will play in front of a sold-out crowd on the road on Saturday.

Wake Forest announced on Thursday that the Demon Deacons’ weekend matchup against Duke was officially sold out. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

The game will mark the second time the Blue Devils played Wake Forest within 12 days. On February 12, Duke defeated the Demon Deacons 77-69 in front of a home crowd at Cameron Indoor.

Sophomore Mark Mitchell led the Blue Devils with 23 points in that game, and forward Kyle Filipowski added 21 points of his own. Freshman Jared McCain added a 17-point double-double as part of his ACC Rookie of the Week campaign.

The Demon Deacons are Joe Lunardi’s First Team Out, according to recent bracket projections, but Wake Forest ranks 21st in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric as it looks to build a tournament case.

Wait a second, can Mark Mitchell shoot now?

Over his first 12 games, sophomore Mark Mitchell only made one of his 22 3-point attempts. In his last 11 games, he’s made seven out of 12.

If you hadn’t watched Duke basketball since December, you might be forgiven for doing a double-take when Mark Mitchell buried a triple against the Hurricanes on Wednesday.

The sophomore didn’t excel from distance last season, but he shot 35% from beyond the arc. For an interior forward, that was at least enough to be respected.

Mitchell started putting up more shots early in the 2023-24 season, however, and it didn’t have the results anyone wanted. He averaged 1.5 attempts from long range as a freshman, but he fired off four 3-point attempts in Duke’s home game against Arizona. He took three more against both Bucknell and Arkansas.

Across Duke’s first 12 games, Mitchell put up 22 3-point attempts. He made one of them.

Then the Notre Dame game happened.

The sophomore buried both of his 3-point attempts on the road in South Bend en route to a season-high 23 points and his first double-double of the year.

He made another against Clemson, two more against Boston College, and one of his two attempts against Wake Forest.

When his lone 3-point attempt of the game against Miami found the net, it capped off an 11-game run that saw Mitchell make seven of his 12 deep attempts. After averaging less than 5% from behind the 3-point line to start the year, he’s made 58.3% since.

In fact, he’s been one of the most efficient shooters in the country over the past six weeks (among high major teams).

A simple part of the math is how much more selective Mitchell has gotten from distance. He averaged 1.83 attempts per game over the first 12 games, and he’s averaged 1.09 attempts since.

Even outside of that, however, Mitchell has to be given credit for continuing to shoot his way through his early-season struggles. He may still be averaging only one deep attempt per game, but his visible confidence makes that sentence have a much different connotation than it did in December.

The boost hasn’t just come from his 3-point shooting, either. He reached 15 points or more in just one in his first 11 games, but he’s reached that same benchmark in six of his last 12 appearances. He’s averaged 14.6 points per game with three double-doubles since the calendar turned to 2024.

The 3-point shot was never meant to be a massive feature of Mitchell’s game. After all, he’s a 6-foot-9 forward who averages more than six rebounds per game. Anyway, Duke has three starters (if you count Caleb Foster’s recent run in the opening five) shooting at a 40% clip from long-range.

The Blue Devils don’t need Mitchell to morph into a marksman. From a spacing perspective, however, it would be crucial if teams respected that he could shoot. And if he’s done anything over the past five weeks, he’s shown teams can’t just assume he’s fine on the perimeter. That might be all Duke needs.

Five takeaways from No. 7 Duke’s 84-55 win against Miami

What does Duke’s 84-55 win against Miami mean for the team over the next few games and the postseason? Here are our five biggest takeaways.

The No. 7 Duke Blue Devils won both of their games on their trip to the state of Florida.

The Blue Devils took down the Florida State Seminoles, 76-67, on Saturday. Duke then traveled to Coral Gables, Florida, and dismantled the Miami Hurricanes, 84-55, on Wednesday night.

The Blue Devils started slow against Miami, but a 13-0 run midway through the first half gave Duke a double-digit lead that they kept into the half. Miami never cut the deficit back to single digits as Duke rolled over them.

Duke now is tied for first place in the ACC standings at 12-3. The Blue Devils’ overall record is one game better than North Carolina, with whom they share first place. Duke is 21-5 on the season, while the Tar Heels are 20-6.

Here are five takeaways from the Blue Devil’s win over Miami.

Duke dominates Miami in one of the Blue Devils’ best offensive displays

The Blue Devils had one of their best offensive performances of the season on Wednesday in a dominant 84-55 win over Miami.

Duke lost its last game in Miami, but the Blue Devils got revenge and a lot more against the Hurricanes on Wednesday night in an 84-55 victory.

Head coach Jon Scheyer’s team sent a statement to the ACC and the nation with one of their best offensive displays of the season, shooting 51.9% from the floor and 44.8% from deep against a shorthanded Miami team.

The first half went as perfectly as it could possibly go for the Blue Devils. Despite the Hurricanes not having junior guards Nijel Pack and Matthew Cleveland, Duke clung to a two-point lead with 10:15 to play in the first.

The Blue Devils closed the half on a 24-9 run to absolutely leave the Hurricanes in the dust.

Duke’s entire starting lineup found moments to shine in the first 20 minutes. Miami kept a close eye on the perimeter to start the game, but the approach meant the Hurricanes kept losing track of sophomore Mark Mitchell, who scored seven of Duke’s first 10 points.

Kyle Filipowski made a pull-up 3-pointer and unleashed a devastating spin move in the paint in quick succession, and freshman guard Caleb Foster followed with two 3-pointers within three possessions.

Reigning ACC Rookie of the Week Jared McCain threw down a vicious dunk through a little contact to get in on the fun, the last basket of a 13-0 run for the Blue Devils.

He did so quietly, but no one excelled across the opening 20 minutes more than senior Jeremy Roach, who made three of his four first-half 3-point attempts to lead the game with 11 points at the break.

The late surge meant the Blue Devils led 40-23 at the break as Miami’s starters combined to shoot 8/27 from the floor and 3/12 from beyond the arc. Star forward Norchad Omier, a potential All-ACC candidate averaging nearly 18 points and 10 rebounds per game, pulled down eight first-half rebounds but could only manage six points on eight shots.

Omier’s frustration seemed to continue into the second half. Filipowski, Mitchell, and other Blue Devils did a good job making him work for his looks, but the Miami big man also missed some routine baskets on the evening. He had a few open looks and contested layups that just bounced off the rim in an odd fashion, his confusion slowly morphing into exasperation as the second half wore on. He finished the game with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Duke’s offensive heater kept warm over the halftime break, with four of the Blue Devils’ five starters making a 3-pointer in the first five minutes of the second half. The last of the four, made by Foster, extended Duke’s lead to 23 points with 15 minutes to play, a deficit that proved insurmountable for the Hurricanes.

The Blue Devils coasted their way to the clubhouse from there with little drama, leading by 20 or more points for almost the entire rest of the way.

Roach ended the game with a team-leading 16 points, and Mitchell and Filipowski both finished with 15 points. McCain had a quieter night, finishing with seven points and five rebounds on 3/9 shooting, but Foster added 11 points and Proctor contributed 12 off the bench.

Duke also out-rebounded the Hurricanes 42-31 over the course of the game.

The Blue Devils, now tied with North Carolina for first in the ACC with a 12-3 conference record, play Wake Forest for the second time in two weeks on Saturday.

New mock draft from The Athletic has Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain as first-rounders

Duke’s Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain are first rounders in Athletic mock draft.

The NCAA season has hit its stride and is streaking towards March, which means conference tournaments followed by the Big Dance.

At this point, every college basketball team has played well over 20 games, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that teams have begun to separate themselves from the pack as we gear up for what figures to be another hotly contested NCAA Tournament.

As the NCAA Tournament nears, it also signals that college basketball is ending, and with that, we will be even closer to the 2024 NBA Draft. While many pundits have declared this a less star-filled draft class for months, there is still a plethora of prospects that could develop into meaningful NBA contributors down the road.

Duke has done its part for the last decade in producing NBA talent, which figures not to stop this year. The Athletic released a new mock draft (subscription required) on Tuesday, and the Blue Devils have two projected first-rounders as things stand right now.

The obvious choice is their talented big man, Kyle Filipowski. Filipowski is having a solid year, and writer Sam Vecenie has Filipowski projected to go ninth to the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the Thunder being the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the abundance of draft capital they have accumulated over the years will remain valuable. They are ahead of schedule in their rebuild and can still land lottery-caliber talent despite playing some of the best basketball in the NBA this year.

Adding Filipowski would give the Thunder a multi-faceted big man to play behind Chet Holmgren and allow them to stretch defenses due to Filipowki’s ability to shoot 35% from a distance.

Elsewhere in the first round, long-range assassin Jared McCain was mocked to the Atlanta Hawks at 19th overall. McCain is shooting 41% from deep and has showcased a well-rounded offensive game, scoring at all three levels. Despite his smallish size and the fact that he may never be a true point guard, McCain’s offensive upside as a shooter has him being compared to former Blue Devil Seth Curry. He is also a terrific rebounder for his size and position and plays tough.

If McCain continues shooting at or above 40 percent, he will be drafted in the first round in June.

Notably, Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor are nowhere to be found in this mock draft. Both returned to school to improve their draft stock and while Mark Mitchell has improved this season, his lack of a 3-point shot has impacted his pro prospects. He’s a tweener forward with a good inside game but cannot stretch defenses the way the NBA prefers.

Is it possible for Mitchell to come back for a junior season? With NIL, money is less of a worry for prospects not guaranteed to go to the second round. The same can be applied to Tyrese Proctor. Two unfortunate injuries have cut into many games for Proctor. He has yet to leap like many thought he would in year two, but his value to Duke is notable. They are a better defensive team, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the best in the ACC.

Would Proctor consider coming back to Duke? Or transfer out for opportunities elsewhere following the season? If Proctor were to come back and run the backcourt with Caleb Foster and be the ultimate facilitator as Duke welcomes the nation’s number one player in Cooper Flagg and a plethora of talented freshmen shooters in Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Darren Harris, it would be a boost to his pro prospects as a lead guard.

These decisions are looming for the Duke basketball program, and we still have tournament season before we see how it all works out.