NEW YORK — Two of Duke’s newest players made big splashes on a big stage Tuesday night.
Freshman guard Trevor Keels poured in 25 points and freshman forward Paolo Banchero added 22 points as No. 9 Duke rolled past No. 10 Kentucky 79-71 in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Playing before a packed house in the first game of Mike Krzyzewski’s final season as their coach, the Blue Devils used a 20-6 run to pull away from Kentucky in the second half. Duke led by as many as 15 points after halftime.
The 6-4, 220-pound Keels looked comfortable in his college debut against a talented opponent in the charged atmosphere of an NBA arena. Keels hit 10 of 18 shots, including Duke’s lone 3-pointer of the game.
Banchero, projected as one of the top picks in next year’s NBA Draft, hit 7 of 11 shots and sank eight of his nine free throws. He added seven rebounds.
Junior Wendell Moore added 12 points.
Duke shot 50.8 percent despite hitting just 1 of 13 3-pointers. The Blue Devils had only nine turnovers.
The Blue Devils blocked five shots (three by Mark Williams, two by Theo John) while limiting Kentucky to 37.7% shooting.
Here is what we learned from Duke’s first game of the season:
Paolo Banchero looks smooth
Yes he’s a big body at 6-10 and 250 pounds. But freshman forward Paolo Banchero already has polish and skills that would make him ready to play in the NBA this year.
Banchero displayed am effective step-back jumper from mid-range, about 17 feet. He also showed the ability to lead the fast break after a Kentucky miss or put the ball on the floor to drive and score.
About the only thing that slowed him was muscle cramps which sent him to get treatment, including fluids, in the second half.
Theo John is as important as advertised
A 6-9, 242-pound center Theo John, a graduate transfer from Marquette, gave Duke more than just important minutes off the bench while giving starting center Mark Williams a chance to rest.
John contributed five points, two rebounds and two blocked shots. He also played solid defense in the post and was active inside on the offensive end as well. What a luxury Duke has with John able to split the minutes in the post, when needed, with the 7-1 Williams.
Young Blue Devils stood strong
Inconsistent play, mainly a lack of fortitude when games got close, resulted in Duke going 13-11 during the pandemic season in 2020-21.
On Tuesday night, the Blue Devils led the entire first half against Kentucky. The Wildcats, though, came out hot after halftime to erase Duke’s 39-35 lead and take their first lead at 42-41 with 18:33 to play.
The teams each scored on their next six possessions as the lead see-sawed back and forth.
Finally, Duke scored eight consecutive points on two Keels baskets and one bucket each from Jeremy Roach and AJ Griffin, to pull ahead for good.
After leading 69-54 with 9:19 to play, the Blue Devils saw Kentucky cut the Duke lead to 69-65 with an 11-0 run. Kentucky had a chance to draw closer but Mark Williams blocked shots halted consecutive Wildcats possessions.
A Keels layup after driving through traffic to the rim at 4:46 ended Duke’s scoreless drought. Banchero hit a shot, drew a foul and added a free throw with 4:26 to play giving Duke a 74-65 lead.
