Duke’s head men’s basketball coach, Jon Scheyer, voiced concerns on Tuesday night about his team’s recent cramping issues after a 77-72 defeat to Kentucky.
Star freshman center Khaman Maluach struggled with cramping, managing just 10 minutes in the second half. After the game, Scheyer remarked, “It’s concerning. We have young bodies, and we need to support these guys. We’re not just dipping our toes in the water… we need to seriously evaluate this.”
Previously, standout freshman Cooper Flagg had also experienced cramping that affected his play in Duke’s victory over Army. Scheyer highlighted the need to address these issues, stating, “We’ve got to help him. I won’t tolerate this for him. I’m committed to meeting with the training staff right after [Friday’s game], no matter how long it takes. We can’t let this happen again.”
While Duke managed to win against a weaker opponent like Army despite Flagg’s brief absence, losing a crucial player like Maluach against another top-tier team proved detrimental.
Along with Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Maluach is one of the highly talented freshmen aimed at making Duke a contender for the national championship this season. He entered the game as Duke’s leading rebounder and currently averages 9.0 rebounds per game, trailing only Flagg. Maluach is also tied with Flagg for the team lead in blocks, with an average of 1.7 per game, and he scores 9.0 points per game with an impressive shooting percentage of 80.0.
Despite playing the fewest minutes of any Duke starter against Kentucky—23—Maluach was effective, contributing 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Notably, Duke went from a 46-37 halftime lead to being outscored by 14 points in the second half while their 7’2″ center struggled with cramps.
The defeat pushed the No. 6 Blue Devils’ record to 2-1 for the season, while new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope celebrated his first major win, improving the No. 19 Wildcats to 3-0.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Duke remains a strong contender for the national title, buoyed by three standout freshmen, all of whom have potential lottery picks for the 2025 NBA draft.
Given that Flagg, Knueppel, and Maluach are likely to be one-and-done players, Scheyer may feel a sense of urgency to quickly achieve significant victories, which could explain the worries about cramping.
Duke faces a rigorous schedule ahead, presenting both challenges and opportunities to move past the loss to Kentucky.
