The Devil's Den: A Duke Athletics Podcast

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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_ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh, Dustin, and Raul give their unfiltered thoughts immediately following Duke's 76-47 domination of the Pittsburgh Panthers in Cameron. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 89-62 domination of SMU on the road, which moved the Blue Devils to 4-0 in the ACC and got them a valuable Quad 1 victory for their resume. They asses how Duke was able to control the game despite the absence of head coach Jon Scheyer. Topics discussed include: Duke's hot offensive start Cooper Flagg's continued offensive improvements Khaman Maluach's defensive impact at the rim Tyrese Proctor's aggressiveness Sion James as the team's steadying presence Caleb Foster's strong game off the bench A (perhaps overly) lengthy discussion of Foster's best role going forward Mason Gillis's 2nd consecutive solid showing Then they turn their attention to the Pittsburgh game in Cameron. They talk about what makes Pitt the 2nd best team in the ACC and how Duke can slow their potent, guard-driven offense down. They also speculate about how much a desire for revenge will play a factor for Duke after Pitt beat them in Cameron last year in humiliating fashion. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 88-65 victory over Virginia Tech. Topics discussed include: Another slow start shooting the ball The consistent defensive effort and IQ up and down the roster Cooper Flagg's hyper-efficient performance Khaman Maluach's troubles catching the ball Tyrese Proctor's offensive aggression Isaiah Evans commitment to off-ball movement Caleb Foster's continued struggles The nine-man rotation that has emerged for Duke Then they look ahead to matchup with SMU, one of Duke's toughest road games left on the season. They talk keys to the game and players to watch out for. What can Duke expect in its first trip to Moody Coliseum? Lastly, they ring in the new year by sharing their favorite Duke basketball moments from 2024. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raul and Dustin are joined by friend of the pod, Rick Heidrick, to dissect the season so far. Topics discussed include: Duke's two early season losses being part of the learning process The maturity and poise Duke showed in later wins vs. Auburn and Louisville The elite defense and evolving offense Duke's strong statistical indicators Then they turn their attention to Duke's dominating 82-56 road win over Georgia Tech. Topics covered include: The lull at the end of the 1st half after a strong start that allowed GT to cut the lead to five The response to start the 2nd half Khaman Maluach's increased playing time and impact Kon Knueppel's strong showing as a pick-and-roll ballhandler Whether Knueppel can solve Duke's question marks at point guard The value of Isaiah Evans' energy and shooting off the bench Caleb Foster's role going forward How Duke can generate more free throws and scoring at the rim Lastly, they look ahead to Virginia Tech before talking about various miscellaneous college basketball topics including UNC's struggles and the uncertainties of portal recruiting. You can follow Rick at rheidrick24 on Twitter. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 68-47 win over George Mason. They talk about the continued slow offensive starts and poor 3pt shooting. Are these trends cause for concern? They also discuss Isaiah Evans' impact off the bench and how big a role he can realistically have. Next, they run through their holiday wish list for the team and individual players. They pick skills they'd like to give to each starter as well as a global improvement they'd like to see the team make. They also award the team its "lump of coal" -- their biggest criticism or complaint about the team's performance to date. Lastly, they briefly preview Duke's second ACC game of the season, at Georgia Tech on Saturday. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh and Dustin react to Duke's 72-46 victory over Incarnate Word. Topics discussed include: Duke's sluggish offense that saw the team score 28 first half points against the #350 ranked defense The unexpectedly poor 3pt shooting from the team so far this season Isaiah Evans as a bright spot as a shooter Whether Evans needs more minutes and where those minutes would come from Khaman Maluach's big performance Patrick Ngongba's difficult start Mason Gillis as a steadying presence The impact of Maliq Brown's absence To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh and Dustin react to Duke's 76-65 road win over the Louisville Cardinals. Topics discussed include: The repeated slow starts that lead to Duke playing from behind Louisville's early hot shooting Possible ways to clarify Foster's role Isaiah Evans' quiet follow-up to his explosion versus Auburn Maliq Brown's ranking in best Duke defenders ever Whether Brown should start over Khaman Maluach Kon Knueppel as a creator The poise Duke showed during their 26-10 run to close the game Taking care of the ball in back to back games Where Duke ranks currently among the best teams in the country To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 84-78 win over #2 Auburn. They analyze what it means for Duke's season as a whole before dissecting the game in detail. Topics discussed include: Dustin's experience in Cameron for the game The change to Duke's starting lineup The 13-2 hole Duke found themselves in early Caleb Foster's offensive aggression off the bench Isaiah Evans' huge 1st half Maliq Brown's defensive impact Cooper Flagg's 2nd half offensive performance The cause of Khaman Maluach's struggles as of late Kon Knueppel's difficulty getting open looks versus good opponents Tyrese Proctor's timely 2nd half buckets Then they preview Duke's first ACC game of the season, at Louisville on Sunday. They talk about Louisville's improvements under new coach Pat Kelsey as well as the keys to a Duke victory. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 70-48 win over Seattle. They talk about the team's #1 rated defense and what's made it successful. Then they talk about the team's offensive struggles. Why is this team, with so much shooting and talent, rated only 23rd on offense? Why are they not drawing free throws? How can the team generate more rim pressure? Next, they turn their attention to an important matchup against Auburn. Can Duke take down the best team in the country (per all important metrics)? How much will homecourt advantage factor in? How does Duke's #1 defense match up against Auburn's #1 offense? Do they have the personnel to slow down Johni Broome? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices