Episodes
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Brendan Marks of The Athletic to discuss Duke's regular season and the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Topics discussed include:
How Jon Scheyer was able to overhaul his roster and approach in a single offseason to have one of the best regular seasons in Duke basketball history
How Scheyer has changed as a coach and leader across his first three seasons
Scheyer's relationships with NBA coaches and GMs, and what he's taken from these mentors
Scheyer's use of a sports psychologist
Whether Scheyer should have won ACC Coach of the Year as well as his chances at National COY
The potential benefit of having been in close games in the ACC Tournament
The controversy surrounding UNC's inclusion in the NCAA Tournament
Duke's region: are there any potential challengers or stumbling blocks?
Other ACC teams that could make a deep run [Note: this was recorded before Clemson and Louisville both lost their 1st round games]
Brendan's Final Four and championship picks
To read Brendan's most recent article, which is discussed on the podcast, please go here and subscribe to The Athletic:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6211057/2025/03/19/duke-basketball-jon-scheyer-cooper-flagg-march-madness/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=1594954&source=dailyemail
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke winning its 23rd ACC Tournament Championship. Topics discussed include:
The atmosphere Dustin experienced on press row in the Spectrum Center
The sluggish start against Georgia Tech
The 1st half injuries to Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown
The rally to take the lead and advance to play UNC
Getting up 24 points on UNC
What went wrong in the 2nd half to allow UNC to cut the lead to one point
The lane violation that cost UNC the game
The excellent play by both Duke and Louisville in the 1st half of the championship game
Duke's defensive adjustments in the 2nd half
Khaman Maluach's incredible 2nd half defensive performance
Kon Knueppel as tournament MVP
The emergence of Patrick Ngongba
Tyrese Proctor breaking out of his shooting slump
Dustin's experience seeing the postgame celebration live
Then they turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament bracket, which was just unveiled. They give their thoughts on Duke's region. Who would they rather play in the 2nd round, Baylor or Mississippi State? What do they think of a possible rematch with Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen? Should Duke have been the overall 1 seed? Should UNC have been in the tournament at all?
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul get together with Brian Geisinger of 247Sports and the Buzz Beat Podcast to reflect on Duke's regular season as a whole. Topics discussed include:
The factors leading to Duke's offensive explosion from February on
The three-headed monster of Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans, and Tyrese Proctor as off-ball spacers
The way Duke uses their big men as screeners on the left wing for flares and floppy actions
Sion James in the dunker's spot and short roll
Whether Duke has solved the issue of not putting enough pressure on the rim
The importance of the return of Maliq Brown for certain matchups
What type of teams could bother Duke in the NCAA Tournament
The randomness of tournament success and how much it should define a team's season
Brian's writing can be found at https://briangeisinger.substack.com/
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 82-69 road victory over UNC to complete the regular season sweep. Topics discussed include:
Duke's early 36-21 lead
The play of Tyrese Proctor and Sion James in the 1st half
Duke's uncharacteristically sloppy ball handling
Cooper Flagg's foul trouble
UNC's big run to take a six-point lead
RJ Davis's heater
The importance of Caleb Foster and Maliq Brown in turning the game around
Flagg's huge 2nd half
Nominees for the play of the game
Then they discuss All-ACC awards. Will Kon Knueppel make All-ACC 1st Team? Will Cooper Flagg sweep the major individual awards? Can Jon Scheyer win Coach of the Year?
Lastly, they briefly discuss possible ACC Tournament matchups for Duke as well as how focused Duke will be on a winning an ACCT Championship overall.
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 90-63 beatdown of Wake Forest on senior night. Topics discussed include:
Tyrese Proctor's return
Whether this was Cooper Flagg's best all-around game
Khaman Maluach's increased production over this winning streak
Duke's shot quality compared to Wake Forest's
How Duke has learned to handle physicality
Then they take a moment to reflect on the regular season as a whole. They share some of the things other Duke fans have said they appreciate most about this team. They discuss the team's toughness, Kon Knueppel's steadiness, Sion James' impact, the way Tyrese Proctor has embraced his role, and the incredible job Jon Scheyer has done constructing a roster and building a program.
Lastly, they turn their attention to the 2nd matchup with UNC. They talk about changes to UNC's starting lineup, their improved offense, and whether those will be enough to help UNC beat Duke. They also break down the ACC Tournament seeding implications of a win vs. a loss.
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 100-65 domination of Florida State. Topics discussed include:
Dustin's experience being at the game on press row
How Duke honored Leonard Hamilton in his last game in Cameron
Isaiah Evans' first career start
Kon Knueppel running point guard
Duke's increased pace of play
The evolution of Duke's offense throughout the season
Duke's ability to go on large runs
Positive bench minutes for Darren Harris
Spencer Hubbard electrifying the crowd in the closing moments
Then they talk briefly about We're #1, the documentary aired after the game about the 1991 and 1992 Blue Devils. They talk about the glory days of the ACC and about how the construction of those Duke rosters compare to this one.
Lastly, they turn their attention to the Wake Forest game. They speculate about what a senior night might look like in an era of constant roster turnover. How will Mason Gillis and Sion James be honored? Will Tyrese Proctor play in the game? And will Wake Forest give Duke as much of a fight as they did in Winston-Salem?
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's comfortable 97-60 win over Miami. Topics discussed include:
The strange atmosphere in the arena
How little resistance Miami offered
Some initial sloppiness from Duke (turnovers, defensive rebounding, etc.)
Coach Scheyer using his bench early
Isaiah Evans continuing to torch opposing defenses off the bench
Evans as a March X factor
Foster being productive in limited minutes yet again
The implications of Tyrese Proctor's injury that kept him out for the 2nd half
Proctor's possible return timetable
The Duke super-fan in the arena who was audible after every made basket
Kon Knueppel's recent complete mastery of the game of basketball
Duke's absurd offensive efficiency during their winning streak
Then they discuss Duke's upcoming home game against Florida State. Who will start in Proctor's absence? Who get the assignment of guarding Jamir Watkins? With Dustin set to be on press row in attendance, what questions will he have for the players in the locker room afterward?
They also discuss college basketball as a whole this season. Why is offense across the board at a historic high? Is it schematic or due to personnel? And why, despite the on-court product being unusually compelling, is fan engagement so low?
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by John Watson of thedevilsden.com to discuss Duke's 110-67 domination of Illinois in Madison Square Garden. Topics include:
Duke's early struggles guarding the paint
How Duke was able to attack mismatches to get anything they wanted on offense
Isaiah Evans continuing to garner attention from NBA scouts
Evans' future plans
Duke's excellent rebounding
2nd half adjustments to tighten up the paint defense
The 9-0 run to start the 2nd half that put the game away
Picks for play of the game
Caleb Foster in garbage time
Duke's recent offensive dominance
Then they discuss the breaking news that Jai Lucas will likely be taking the Miami head coaching job. They talk about what this means for Duke for the rest of the season and going forward. What is the potential fallout in recruiting? Who will replace Lucas on the staff?
Lastly, they talk briefly about the upcoming Miami game as well as the remaining four games of the season and how they might impact ACC standings.
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 80-62 road win over Virginia. Topics discussed include:
Virginia's early offensive success
How Isaiah Evans can completely change the dynamic of a game
The possibility that Evans is drafted after this season
Cooper Flagg's rebounding
Kon Knueppel's hustle and malleability
Sion James' recent stretch of incredible efficiency
Where James ranks among Duke's best transfers
The impact of Maliq Brown's injury
What the rotation may look like in his absence
Then they turn their attention to the critical Illinois matchup this Saturday. They talk about how Illinois suppresses opponent three-point attempts, and whether Duke will be able to generate open looks against their defense. They also discuss whether Duke can keep Illinois off the offensive glass and limit their efficient inside scoring.
Lastly, they discuss the state of the current ACC and the close race at the top of the ACC standings.
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's dominant 106-70 victory over Stanford. Topics discussed include:
How Stanford was able to keep the game close for the first 10 minutes
Duke's recent struggles with defensive rebounding
Tyrese Proctor's ongoing hot stretch
The team's overall hustle (deflections, diving for loose balls, etc.)
Jaylen Blakes' difficult return to Cameron
Caleb Foster's positive production off the bench late in the game
Then they talk briefly about the NCAA Selection Committee's unveiling of the top 16 seeds in the tournament as of today. What do they think about Duke's potential matchups? Will three SEC teams still be 1-seeds when the tournament starts? Is there anyone else who could sneak in as an alternate 1-seed?
Lastly, they preview the Virginia game on Monday.
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Josh and Dustin react to Duke's 78-57 win over the California Golden Bears. Topics discussed include:
A bounce-back defensive performance by the team as a whole
Cooper Flagg seeming fully recovered from illness
Flagg's double-clutch reverse dunk
Improved team rebounding, particularly from Sion James and Khaman Maluach
Experimentation with Cooper Flagg at the 3
Tyrese Proctor's recent hot stretch and how sustainable it is
Whether Proctor or Kon Knueppel should be the second option after Flagg
Maluach's longterm pro potential
Kon Knueppel's draft status
Then they preview Saturday's home matchup against Stanford. They talk about the excellent season former Duke player Jaylen Blakes is having for Stanford and whether he'll get a standing ovation on his return to Cameron. Then they dive into potential challenges Stanford might present for Duke, focusing in particular on the matchup between Maluach and 7'1" stretch big Maxime Raynaud.
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 77-71 road loss to Clemson. Topics discussed include:
What Duke did right in the 1st half to take a six-point lead into halftime
Tyrese Proctor's excellent play over the last three games
Kon Knueppel's strong start
Clemson's unusual midrange accuracy
Cooper Flagg's 1st half struggles
Caleb Foster's extremely limited minutes
The stagnant 2nd half offense which led to a 12-0 Clemson run
The frontcourt's struggles rebounding
The importance of Mason Gillis
Flagg's heroics to help Duke regain the lead
Continuing questions about late-game execution and strategy
Whether it made sense to go for two multiple times in a row
Whether Flagg should have run more time off the clock before starting his drive
They also discuss their favorite moments from Duke's 16-game win streak and look ahead to upcoming games versus California and Stanford.
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Josh and Dustin react to Duke's dominating 83-54 win versus Syracuse. Topics discussed include:
Maliq Brown's two-way impact
Duke's passing prowess
Tyrese Proctor with a second strong game in a row
Positive minutes for Caleb Foster
The eight dunks on the night
The play of the game
Then they preview Clemson, Duke's toughest test left in conference. Will Duke finally drop a game? If they win, will the talk of an undefeated ACC season really ramp up?
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by John Watson of thedevilsden.com to discuss Duke's dominant 87-70 win over North Carolina. Topics discussed include
Duke's offensive execution and defensive disruptiveness early
Cooper Flagg's masterful first eight minutes
Duke's backcourt thoroughly outplaying UNC's
Maliq Brown's impactful return
Whether Khaman Maluach should be switching onto guards on the perimeter
The heavy minutes played for Duke's top four players
Kon Knueppel's dominant start to the second half
How Duke let their foot off the gas late in the game
Whether games like this one diminish the rivalry
Then they turn their attention to recruiting. Several Duke commits were in attendance at the game, and they were joined by Nate Ament, the #3 player in the 2025 recruiting class. What are Duke's chances of landing Ament, and what will next year's team look like if they do? Who does John expect to return from this year's team? What type of players might Duke look to add in the portal?
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Josh and Raul are joined by Zion Olojede of the Crazie Cast podcast to preview Duke's big matchup against UNC this Saturday. They start by getting Zion's general thoughts on Duke's season so far as well as Duke's unexpectedly close win over NC State earlier this week. They discuss Cooper Flagg's dominance, Kon Knueppel's solid showing, and the team's recent struggles shooting the ball. They talk about whether Isaiah Evans should have played more minutes. They debate how much Pat Ngongba will play when Maliq Brown returns from injury.
Then they turn their attention to the upcoming rivalry game. How does Zion feel about Kenpom's predicted 16-point spread in favor of Duke? Who will guard Ian Jackson, and what are some other matchups to watch? How will Duke handle UNC's four-guard lineups? Will Duke counter with minutes for Mason Gillis at the 5, or will they stay big and try to punish UNC on the glass? What is the impact of playing UNC in a "down year" for the program?
Zion Olojede can be found on Twitter @zionolojede. You can find the Crazie Cast podcast on the Field of 68 network as well as on Twitter @CrazieCast.
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Josh and Raul give their off-the-cuff thoughts on Duke's gritty 63-56 win over Wake Forest. What did Duke do well in the first half to take a 35-22 lead? What happened after halftime? Why did Duke only score six points for the next 12 minutes? Lastly, how was the team able to right the ship and go on a 14-2 run of their own to get Scheyer his first win as a head coach at Joel Coliseum?
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul chat with Brian Geisinger of 247Sports and the Buzz Beat Podcast about Duke's evolution throughout the season. Topics discussed include:
Duke's offensive improvements in recent weeks
Strategies Duke has borrowed from the Boston Celtics
Sion James in the dunker's spot
Duke's 3pt volume and number of open looks generated
Tyrese Proctor as a screener
Flare screens for Isaiah Evans
Cooper Flagg in the middle of the lane
Mason Gillis as a small-ball 5
Changing pick-and-roll coverages depending on which big man is on the floor
Gauging how good this Duke team given the competition level
Then they preview the matchup tomorrow with Wake Forest. Why has Wake shot the ball so poorly this year? How can they still be dangerous to Duke despite their offensive struggles? How should Duke attack their hard hedges of the ball screen?
Brian's work can be found at https://briangeisinger.substack.com/, including an article referenced in this podcast:
https://briangeisinger.substack.com/p/the-maine-thing-duke-starts-to-work
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 88-63 victory over Boston College. Topics include:
How Boston College was able to keep this game competitive for so long
Defensive question marks in certain center matchups with Maliq Brown out
Mason Gillis's importance as both a leader and post defender
Cooper Flagg's improved shot diet and unreal offensive efficiency
Updated player comparisons for Flagg
Boston College's strategy to double-team Kon Knueppel
Whether this was Tyrese Proctor's best game
Isaiah Evans' irrational confidence
The state of college basketball officiating
Then they talk about the college basketball landscape as a whole. What is it that's made this season historically dominant at the top, according to Kenpom numbers? And is that a concern for Duke heading into the NCAA tournament?
Lastly, they talk about Jaylen Blakes' game-winner for Stanford vs. UNC, and the season he's having for Stanford overall.
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Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Jordan Mann of The Big J & Little J Show to talk Duke's impressive 89-54 win over Miami as well as do a general check-in on the Blue Devils' season so far. Topics discussed include:
How Duke generates the most open threes in the country
The value of the screens set by Maluach and the other bigs in generating these threes
Cooper Flagg's passing
The play of Flagg, Maluach, and Kon Knueppel in January
The best player comparison for Maluach
How difficult it can be for upperclassmen to embrace the stardom of freshmen
Caleb Foster's solid performance against Miami and how he can simplify the game for himself
How to maximize Isaiah Evans
Jon Scheyer as the best defensive coach in the country
The versatility of how Duke guards the ball screen
Pat Ngongba's positive minutes during Maliq Brown's absence
Other lineups and strategies Duke can explore with Brown out
Potential stumbling block games for Duke in ACC play
The upcoming Boston College game
In addition to the Big J & Little J Show, Jordan Mann is also the host of CBB Addiction and has a YouTube channel where he breaks down Duke matchups in detail: https://www.youtube.com/@JMann_
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Josh and Dustin react to Duke's 86-78 win over Notre Dame. Topics include:
Cooper Flagg's record-setting 42-point performance
Duke's 14-0 start
Notre Dame's barrage of 1st half threes
Duke's defensive struggles against Notre Dame's spread offense
The 15-1 run by Notre Dame that made this game close late
The impact of Maliq Brown's absence
Lack of production from the bench over the last few games
The value of being tested by close games
Then they briefly preview Miami and talk a bit about how far the ACC has fallen since the glory days of Duke-Miami matchups.
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