“He’s been shot ready,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer stated. “The guys have discovered him. I’ve probably done better for him by ensuring he gets some decent glances. But I believe it is actually his thinking. “Just being ready and preparing properly.”
Duke’s freshman Cooper Flagg contributed 19 points as the team shot 62.5%. Stanford (16-10, 8-7 ACC) shot 38.1% and suffered its fourth defeat in five games. On February 22, the Cardinal return to the West Coast to face longtime Bay Area foe, California, for the first time as an ACC opponent. Maxime Raynaud had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals. Here are three lessons from Duke’s recent victory:
Offense on track. After failing to make 50% of its shots in four of its previous six games, Duke had everything working in its favor against Stanford.
Duke’s 62.5% shooting was its best performance of the season. The Blue Devils shot 58.1% in the first half and led 49-34 at halftime. They subsequently made nine of their first eleven points after halftime, extending their advantage to 73-44.
Proctor, who made 9 of 13 shots, and Flagg, who made 7 of 13, were two of four Duke starters who reached double figures. Khaman Maluach scored 17 points, while Sion James added 14. Caleb Foster added 10 points off the bench for Duke. The Blue Devils made 14 of 29 3-pointers, led by Proctor, who made 5 of 8 to tie his career high for the game.
Blakes’ Homecoming Duke’s Cameron Crazies exhibited an unusual showing of affection to a visiting player for the second time this season, as former Blue Devils guard Jaylen Blakes returned to start for the Cardinals.
Blakes spent the previous three seasons with the Blue Devils, appearing in 84 games with three starts. Saturday marked his 23rd game for Stanford, and he has started all of them. As a result, when he was announced among the rest of Stanford’s starting lineup, the Cameron Crazies gave him a standing ovation, prompting him to raise his arms in celebration.
Blakes scored two points on 1-of-10 shooting with two assists in 28 minutes against Duke on Saturday. He came into Saturday averaging 14.5 points and 5.0 assists per game.
“This is the only game I was rooting against him,” Scheyer stated. “Aside from that, he has contributed significantly to our program over the last three years. “Really special.” On December 31, Duke played former teammate Jaden Schutt at Cameron and defeated Virginia Tech 88-65. Schutt, a Duke player for the previous two seasons, began for the Hokies that day. A third member of last season’s Duke team will face the Blue Devils at Virginia on Monday night. TJ Power, who played one season with the Blue Devils, moved to Virginia last spring.
Dick Vitale returns. Dick Vitale, who returned to ESPN’s airways one week ago after a nearly two-year sabbatical to pursue cancer treatments, made a victorious return to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
Vitale was a member of the ABC broadcast crew that covered Stanford-Duke. He called Duke’s 77-71 defeat to Clemson on February 8. Prior to ascending to Cameron’s rafters to seat in the broadcast position in the crow’s nest, Vitale rang a bell on the court, signaling the end of cancer treatments, while the Cameron Crazies’ student section celebrated loudly.
Since 2021, the 85-year-old Vitale has been diagnosed with four forms of cancer, including vocal cord cancer, which has stopped him from announcing games. He hadn’t worked a game since the 2023 Final Four, which took place on February 8 at Clemson University.
Vitale’s return to Duke was particularly meaningful because three of his grandkids play tennis for the Blue Devils. Connor and Jake Krug are seniors on the men’s team, and Ava Krug is a freshman on Duke’s women’s tennis team. Their mother, Sherri Vitale, is Dick Vitale’s daughter. From 1992 until 1996, she attended Notre Dame and played tennis there.
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