The Blue Devils took a commanding early lead in their Wednesday evening exhibition game against UNC Pembroke, riding an early barrage to a 59-24 halftime advantage at Cameron Indoor Stadium. With 20 minutes still to play, here are our five observations:
Veteran lineup
In a break from the one-and-done culture of old, Duke returned four of last year’s starters to the court Wednesday night in a display of veteran supremacy. Captains Jeremy Roach — on his 22nd birthday — and Tyrese Proctor were joined by classmates Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell, with freshman guard Jared McCain rounding out the lineup. First off the bench for the Blue Devils was a combination of young and old, with graduate center Ryan Young and freshman guard Caleb Foster each making their debut for the 2023-24 season.
Flip’s hips
Despite undergoing surgery on both hips in April, Filipowski returned to Cameron Indoor to kick off his sophomore season. However, the AP Preseason All-American struggled in the opening minutes to make a real impact, notching one turnover and two rebounds before hitting the score sheet himself. Not one to be denied, the Wilbraham and Monson product finally broke through a little over five minutes into the contest after bodying his way to a layup. The breakout star of the 2022-23 season also added two more rebounds and three assists. Before the end of the half, Filipowski was sure to remind the crowd of his dominance as he easily put away a 3-point jumper on the fast break.
Freshman debut
The “Freshman Four” got their first taste of Duke basketball Wednesday as they made their respective Cameron debuts. McCain led the way as a starter, notching 13 points while earning one steal and cashing in on seven free throws with an and-one to his name. Foster, TJ Power and Sean Stewart each saw quality minutes as well off the bench. The highlight for the debutants came with a little over 11 minutes left to play in the half, as Stewart made an electric dunk off a Foster lob.
Suffocating defense
The Blue Devils looked sharp defensively throughout the first half, only letting UNC Pembroke tally 24 points and forcing 15 turnovers. The team hustled for seven steals and 12 defensive rebounds while stifling the Braves at the rim. Head coach Jon Scheyer’s crew also forced two shot clock violations. While the squad in white began to give up some points toward the end of the half, Duke held strong to maintain its significant lead.
Player of the half: Tyrese Proctor
Locked in from the opening whistle, Proctor did not step onto the court to mess around. The sophomore drained four 3-pointers less than three minutes into the game, immediately earning a roar of approval from the Cameron Crazies. The Sydney native earned yet another three just over eight minutes later to cement his domination beyond the arc. Aside from his halftime total of 15 points, Proctor commanded the floor as the primary ball handler, showing just why he earned the title of captain this offseason.
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Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity sophomore and Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.