Latest news with #DukeBlueDevils
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Duke Star Kon Knueppel Receives Major New Prediction Before NBA Draft
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer are losing a lot of talent to the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. Cooper Flagg is the headline name, but fellow five-star freshman Kon Knueppel is also worth taking note of, along with center Khaman Maluach. All three Duke standouts have a chance to be top-10 draft picks. That alone shows just how stacked the Blue Devils' roster was during the 2024-25 college basketball season. Knueppel is one of the best shooters in this NBA Draft class. With teams always needing elite shooting, he will have a chance to be drafted high and earn playing time early on in his professional career. Kon Knueppel #7 of the Duke Blue Devils brings the ball up court against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the quarterfinal round of the ACC men's basketball tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13,... Kon Knueppel #7 of the Duke Blue Devils brings the ball up court against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the quarterfinal round of the ACC men's basketball tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. More Photo byDuring his freshman year at Duke, Knueppel lived up to all of the hype that came with being a five-star prospect. He may not have received the same hype that Flagg did, but he was just as important. Without him on the team, the run to the Final Four likely would not have happened. Read more: Duke, Jon Scheyer Won't Be Thrilled With Latest 2025-26 Ranking He played in 39 games during his freshman season, averaging 14.4 points per game to go along with four rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a steal. Knueppel also shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from three-point range. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has also revealed a major new prediction for Knueppel in the 2025 NBA Draft. In his new mock draft on Thursday, Wasserman has predicted that the Toronto Raptors will land Knueppel with the No. 9 overall pick. "Only the Washington Wizards averaged fewer threes per game than the Raptors, making Knueppel an obvious candidate at No. 9," he wrote. "But he should also be in the best-player-available conversation at this point of the lottery." Not only did Wasserman provided a prediction for where Knueppel will land in the draft, he also offered a comparison for the Blue Devils star. Read more: NBA Champion Says Timberwolves Should Target This Anthony Edwards Co-Star That comparison was none other than Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson. It's a comparison that bodes well for Knueppel, especially after the 2024-25 NBA season that Johnson put together. There is a lot of work to do to become the player that he's capable of being, but Knueppel has never had a problem with work ethic. Regardless of which team selects him in the 2025 draft, the Duke standout will come in ready to work with a burning desire to win. Fans won't have to wait too much longer to find out where he ends up. The 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled to be held on June 25. For more college basketball and NBA Draft news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
TV, schedule announced for the Athens Regional
The Athens Regional will get underway on Friday, May 30 at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia. The No. 7 national seed Georgia Bulldogs are the top seed in the Athens Regional. Other Athens Regional teams include the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils, No. 3 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys and No. 4 seed Binghamton Bearcats. The Athens Regional is one of 16 four-team regionals that compose the NCAA Tournament's field of 64. All of these regionals are double elimination. The winner of the Athens Regional will advances to the super regionals, which will be held, in the form of the three-game series, from June 7-9 or 8-10. The winner of the Athens Regional will face the winner of the Oxford Regional. The No. 10 national seed Ole Miss Rebels headline the Oxford Regional, which includes Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky and Murray State. The eight winners of the super regional round will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 13-23. If Georgia wins the Athens Regional, then the Bulldogs will host the Athens Super Regional since Georgia is a top-eight national seed. Please note that all times are ET and are subject to change due to television or weather. Athens Regional Schedule Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle Friday, May 30 Game 1: No. 1 Georgia (42-15) vs. No. 4 Binghamton (29-24) at Noon (SEC Network) Game 2: No. 2 Duke (37-19) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State (28-23) at 6 p.m. (ESPNU) Saturday, May 31 Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 at Noon Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 at 6 p.m. TV is to be announced for both games Sunday, June 1 Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 at Noon Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (time to be announced) TV is to be announced for both games Monday, June 2
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Duke, Jon Scheyer Won't Be Thrilled With Latest 2025-26 Ranking
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The 2024-25 college basketball season was a good one for Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils. Led by Cooper Flagg, Duke was able to make an impressive run all the way to the Final Four. Unfortunately, in that Final Four appearance, the Blue Devils blew a lead late in the game against the Houston Cougars and were eliminated from national championship contention. It was a disappointing finish to an extremely good year. Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, Scheyer and company have a lot of work to do. Head coach Jon Scheyer of the Duke Blue Devils reacts to a call against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 18, 2023 in... Head coach Jon Scheyer of the Duke Blue Devils reacts to a call against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 18, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. More Photo byAs expected, Flagg decided to leave Duke to enter the 2025 NBA Draft. He is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which would currently place him as the newest member of the Dallas Mavericks. Read more: Duke, Jon Scheyer Suffer Another Major Setback Due to NBA Draft Flagg was not the only key player to enter the draft. Kon Knueppel, who was also a five-star freshman for the Blue Devils, also left the program for the draft. Other Duke players who are leaving for the NBA are Khaman Maluach, Cedric Coward, Tyrese Proctor, and Sion James are also draft prospects. While Coward did not play for the Blue Devils last season, he was a huge transfer addition this offseason who would have helped replace Flagg and Knueppel. CBS Sports analyst Gary Parrish has released new early rankings for the 2025-26 season. When it came to Duke, the team was ranked just No. 9 in the nation. That isn't a bad ranking by any stretch, but it's not where the Blue Devils would like to be. "This ranking is based on the Blue Devils returning three of the top nine scorers -- specifically Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba -- from a team that finished 35-4 and advanced to the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament," Parrish wrote. "That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Rice transfer Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, five-star freshman Cameron Boozer, four-star freshmen Nikolas Khamenia, Cayden Boozer and Sebastian Wilkins and international prospect Dame Sarr." Read more: Tom Izzo, Michigan State Receive Head-Turning 2025-26 Prediction Scheyer did an excellent job with what he had to work with this offseason. He has a great freshman class coming in and was able to secure some talent in the transfer portal as well. No one knows what to expect from the new version of Duke basketball, but the talent is there for the Blue Devils to win at a high level once again. For more college basketball news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Betting markets think there's an outside chance Kon Knueppel goes No. 3 in the NBA draft
Betting markets think there's an outside chance Kon Knueppel goes No. 3 in the NBA draft The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball program will assuredly produce three of the top 10 picks in this summer's NBA draft. The Dallas Mavericks have essentially already confirmed they will take teenage phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, the spot Duke's young superstar has been penciled in for since his high-school years, and his freshman classmates Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach showed off their ceilings en route to a Final Four appearance. But how high can the Blue Devils' other two lottery picks go? According to BetMGM, there's an outside chance Knueppel could go as high as No. 3 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Knueppel, the ACC Tournament MVP, averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals while making 40.6% of his 3-pointers. The 6-foot-6 forward answered questions about his athleticism by finding ways to the paint over and over again, and he excelled in pick-and-roll situations alongside Flagg and Maluach. The 76ers aren't the best fit for Knueppel's chances to go that high, however. Philadelphia took Duke sharpshooter Jared McCain last year, showing that the Sixers trust Durham's talent development, but their backcourt is already crowded with star guard Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes. Oddsmakers give Knueppel a +900 chance to end up in Philadelphia, giving him an implied 10% chance to go third overall. Maluach isn't fully out of consideration, either, with an implied 3.9% chance to go to the Sixers at +2500. Here's a look at the odds as of Monday. No. 3 overall pick odds for the 2025 NBA draft: All NBA draft odds via BetMGM: Player Odds Ace Bailey (Rutgers Scarlet Knights) +100 VJ Edgecombe (Baylor Bears) +120 Kon Knueppel (Duke Blue Devils) +900 Tre Johnson (Texas Longhorns) +1200 Khaman Maluach (Duke Blue Devils) +2500 Most mock drafts put Knueppel and Maluach close to the bottom half of the top 10 with the New Orleans Pelicans (seventh) and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) seen as likely suitors for either player. The 2025 NBA draft begins on June 25. Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I'd probably score 84 or 85" - Gilbert Arenas admits he dreamed about revenge game vs. Duke after 2004 Team USA snub
Fans and analysts love to speculate about hypothetical matchups. Many people are curious about how a certain player would perform against a particular team. In late January 2007, Gilbert Arenas was asked a similar question — how he, as an NBA player in his sixth season, would fare against the Duke Blue Devils roster at that time. Staying true to his confident style, "Agent Zero" gave a bold answer. Arenas felt snubbed It helps to look back at the summer of 2006 to really understand why Arenas mentioned that specific hypothetical matchup. Advertisement Back then, Team USA was led by a special coaching trio, each with their own head coaching jobs during the regular season. Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University led the team, assisted by Mike D'Antoni of the Phoenix Suns and Nate McMillan of the Portland Trail Blazers. When the final roster for the 2006 FIBA World Championship was announced, Washington Wizards playmaker wasn't on the list. Many thought this decision was fair, considering the amount of top talent in the country. However, others — including Gil himself — saw his exclusion as a clear snub. Feeling overlooked but determined to prove his value, the reigning All-Star set a personal goal: to dominate every NBA team coached by those who had left him off the national squad that won the bronze medal in Japan while he had to stay home. Related: Michael Jordan told Phil Jackson that Scottie Pippen was the second-best player on the 1992 Dream Team: "He was a legitimate star" Arenas' revenge "Agent Zero's" personal vendetta began to take shape when he scored 54 points on 21-of-37 shooting against the Suns on December 22, 2006. Advertisement That incredible performance — Gil's second-highest NBA scoring game — did not go unnoticed. Afterward, D'Antoni made a clever comment, aware of how upset Arenas still was about being left off the Team USA roster. He joked that if Hibachi already took such revenge on him — then only an assistant coach for Team USA — he wondered what the 6'4" point guard would do against Duke, saying he'd "absolutely dominate" Coach K's team. Reflecting on this, Arenas wrote in an blog that if he could change anything, he would gladly give up an entire NBA season just to play one college game against the 2006-07 Blue Devils, who had players like Josh McRoberts, Gerald Henderson Jr. and Jon Scheyer. "One college game that's five fouls, right?... 40-minute game at Duke, they got soft rims I'd probably score 84 or 85," quipped Arenas, per ESPN. "I wouldn't pass the ball. I wouldn't even think about passing it. It would be like a NBA Live or an NBA 2k7 game, you just shoot with one person." Advertisement For context, the highest single-game scoring record in NCAA history belongs to former Division III's Jack Taylor, who scored 138 points for Grinnell College on November 20, 2012. Although the Duke vs. Wizards matchup never happened, the now 43-year-old got his chance for revenge in two games against the Suns and two against the Blazers under coach McMillan that year. While Arenas averaged a blazing 42.5 points per contest against Phoenix, his scoring dropped to just 14.0 points against Portland, showing that his vendetta was somewhat one-sided. Related: "He has all the shooters on the bench" - Gilbert Arenas on why he knew Team USA wouldn't win gold in the '06 FIBA WC
