DURHAM, North Carolina — The 19-year-old Kon Knueppel did not remember what he said to soothe the nerves of fifth-year transfer Sion James.
“Ummm, I don’t really remember, but he seemed a little jacked up, a little nervous,” Knueppel said after No. 2 Duke had smashed rival North Carolina, 87-70.
“In warmups, I’m not the type to really get nervous, but man, there were thousands of people, thousands of students in there before I even tied my shoes up. Kon told me before the game he wants me to be the most steady guy out there,” James had said nearby in Duke’s locker room moments earlier. His words were relayed to Kneuppel, and then a lightbulb went off.
“Yes,” he said, a sly smile unfurling. “Yes. I told him ‘Have poise tonight. Have poise. Have poise.'”
Each player shined in the 263rd all-time meeting of Duke and North Carolina, James scoring 13 points and Knueppel a game-high 22. Combined they had three steals and eight assists. Their relationship, or better yet the willingness of a freshman who’d never been there to give advice to a senior, who also had never been there, is a snapshot of what makes Duke one of the best two or three teams in college basketball and different from last year’s team, which made the Elite Eight but, to a man, was at times besieged by off-the-court distractions and grumblings about roles and minutes.
James is a muscular, 6-foot-5 point guard who looks like he should be playing football across the plaza at Wallace Wade. He is the only non-five-star among Duke’s starting five. The Tulane transfer actually was Duke’s No. 1-ranked get in the 2024 haul (compare Duke’s success in that category to North Carolina’s swing-and-a-miss, and you’ll begin to understand how Saturday’s blowout happened). James is somewhat unconventional, but his role is similar to that of Jrue Holiday, as described by CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter.
It’s almost incredible how often Tulane transfer Sion James is in the middle of creating open treys. Cooper Flagg is Duke’s queen on the chess board, but James is ridiculously valuable, too. Duke uses him as a screener to create advantages and he finds open shooters left and right. James’ feel and timing in transition is impeccable. He makes quick decisions and the ball rarely sticks.
“I like that, I love that,” Kneuppel said of a college-grade comparison between James and Holliday, who he tracked closely as a Milwaukee Bucks die-hard. “A dog defensively.”
Knueppel was the No. 1-ranked player in Wisconsin. He is a hearty 6-foot-7 with cherubic qualities and a life-of-the-party disposition – off the court. On it, he’ll climb the ladder with minimal runway to throw down two-handed slams with heavy traffic in the paint.
Up 47-25 to start the second half, Knueppel did a vibes check with the Cameron Crazies at half court. “Ready, let’s go,” he said to them. Knueppel’s ensuing barrage – a dunk, a three-pointer, free throws, a jumper and a layup, all within the next four-ish minutes – stretched the lead to 62-34.
“He went out there and was the most steady guy out there, so I’m proud of him for that,” James said.
Cooper Flagg is a storyline unto himself, finding new ways to make history every game (vs. UNC, Flagg scored 21 points and had game-highs with eight rebounds and seven assists to go with three steals and two blocks). Flagg exited the game with 47 seconds remaining, his first and only North Carolina game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“He makes everybody better around him, and it’s a heck of a thing to have 21, 8 and 7, and you think he could’ve done more,” coach Jon Scheyer said.
Duke has had superlative one-and-doners before with varying degrees of NCAA Tournament success. Roster construction is completed in the offseason; team-building begins right after. Scheyer clearly accomplished what he set out to do last spring in stripping Duke of any and every part that might not fit perfectly around Flagg, prioritizing size, length and defensive aptitude. Scheyer, too, has navigated the regression of sophomore Caleb Foster, a former five-star, and has delicately carved out a role for five-star sharp-shooter Isaiah Evans, who ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class but only plays about 12 minutes a night.
“We know what our strength is,” James said. “Size and length and togetherness.”
Duke vs. UNC: Player grades from lopsided win as Cooper Flagg erupts, RJ Davis disappears
Isaac Trotter
Tyrese Proctor, whose return for Year 3 was pivotal, broke out of a month-long slump to the delight of the Crazies who wear all-white outfits with PROCTOR scribbled on the back and unfurl an Australian flag at every Proctor bucket. There were many such instances Saturday; Proctor, the Sydney native, administered 17 points.
Blueblood followers remember the tale of Joel Embiid, a basketball neophyte out of Cameroon who had even purportedly slayed a lion as a child, joining Kansas’ 2013 recruiting class overshadowed by fellow five-stars Andrew Wiggins and Wayne Selden Jr. but blossoming into the best pro of the bunch. In Khaman Maluach, a native of South Sudan, there are obvious parallels. Maluach was a late addition to Duke’s recruiting class, committing in March of 2024.
A product of the NBA Academy Africa, Khaman Maluach is a player that would have been causing a major stir throughout his high school career had he played high school ball in the United States,” says 247Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi.
Maluach went from off-the-grid to the No. 4 player in the 2024 class, per 247Sports — behind only Flagg and Rutgers’ bundle of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
The imposing 7-foot-2 Maluach has a 7-foot-5 wingspan and a 9-foot-8 standing reach. He somehow was not credited with a blocked shot vs. North Carolina, though his presence affected nearly every single Tar Heel drive. Like Embiid once did during pregame warmups as a Jayhawk, Maluach likes to get a few 3-pointers up next to Flagg and Knueppel, even if he’s only made one of his seven attempts all season. “Still just a basketball baby,” as one person close to Duke described Maluach. His shooting will further develop in the NBA. For now, he’s the perfect lob cheat code for an offense that’s already unfair.
In attendance Saturday night, right behind the Duke bench, were the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden. They signed with Duke in the fall as members of a 2025 recruiting class that ranks No. 1 overall. The uncommitted Nate Ament, who slots right behind Cameron in the rankings, was there, too. So was forward signee Shelton Henderson (No. 14 overall). A class of 2027 prospect named Jordan Page out of Raleigh — No. 7 overall in his class — also took in the action. A few sections down from the recruits was NBA rookie Jared McCain, a five-star one-and-doner from the 2023 class who twice scored 30 points in last year’s NCAA Tournament, including 32 in an Elite Eight loss to NC State.
So goes the circle of life in Durham … last year’s top players and next year’s top players watching this year’s top players do their thing. The entirety of Duke’s starting five will (likely) be playing professionally next season. So in their first of two contests in college basketball’s greatest rivalry, and the only one at home, all of James, Proctor, Knueppel, Flagg and Maluach made the most of it.
“This is why you go to a school like Duke,” James said. “Big rivalry, big games every weekend … it’s awesome and I’m glad to do it with the group of guys I’m doing it with. … Beating Carolina’s a special thing.”
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