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The Duke Blue Devils basketball team has yet to prove themselves against tough opposition in the 2024-25 season; in fact, the much-ballyhooed Cooper Flagg is coming off a major struggle in Duke's loss to Kansas last week. But on Wednesday night, Duke showed why they entered the season with much hype as they took down the second-ranked Auburn, 84-78, in an absolute barnburner of a matchup.
Flagg did not have the best of games; he may have finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks, but his shooting efficiency left much to be desired despite Duke's win. But in a game where they needed big performances from the entire team as they went up against one of the best teams in the nation in Auburn, it was another freshman in Isaiah Evans who stepped up, making six threes out of eight attempts to provide a spark off the Blue Devils bench.
“That's not something you see everyday. For a guy like Isaiah who had an incredible high school career, to come in and not start how he would have hoped here but just to stay ready and just work every single day. He's one of the hardest workers on the team for sure. Just kinda stay ready and be ready for that moment, it takes a lot. So, [I'm] just really proud of him. I knew he had it in him,” Flagg told reporters, via Matt Giles of Sports Illustrated.
Is Isaiah Evans about to earn more of Jon Scheyer and Duke's trust?
Isaiah Evans was one of Duke's most prized recruits heading into the 2024 season. But it hasn't quite worked out yet for the 18-year-old — not before his breakout game on Wednesday night.
Indeed, it has been a struggle for Evans to establish himself in the Duke rotation despite being a five-star recruit coming out of North Mecklenburg High School. Entering Wednesday, the 18-year-old guard had only appeared in four out of the Blue Devils' seven games, averaging just 11.5 minutes per game. He received a DNP against Kentucky, Arizona, and Kansas, so for him to shine against Auburn signals that a turnaround could be in the cards for him.
Evans' main selling point as a player is his ability to put up points in bunches, and that is exactly what he did against Auburn. His hot shooting from beyond the arc definitely earned him more of head coach Jon Scheyer's trust as the Blue Devils continue to navigate the season.
