No. 19 Kentucky is set to play Lipscomb in a men’s college basketball game on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

Duke continues to face challenges with their younger players struggling with cramping issues. In their recent game against Kentucky, which ended in a 77-72 loss, standout freshman Cooper Flagg managed to play through it. He put up an impressive 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, though his fatigue showed in the final moments when he turned the ball over twice, helping Kentucky secure the win.

Flagg’s not alone in this problem. His teammate, freshman center Khaman Maluach, also dealt with cramping. Maluach had to sit out parts of the game after cramping up in the first half. Before leaving, he had a solid performance with 10 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, along with seven rebounds and two blocks. However, his cramping limited him to just 23 minutes of playing time.

Duke’s head coach Jon Scheyer noted that these issues might be due to the youth of the team. “We were up by nine when Khaman started cramping,” Scheyer said. “I think part of it is just having young bodies. We need to get them into better shape because we rely on both Cooper and Khaman to play big minutes.”

This isn’t the first time Duke has faced cramping problems this season. Flagg had similar issues in Duke’s first two games, both of which they won. It even caused Coach Scheyer to express frustration with his staff for not better preparing the players physically.

In addition to cramping issues, Duke also lost a more experienced player during the game. Graduate guard Sion James went down with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury after running into a screen. He only played 13 minutes before leaving with four points. Scheyer said that James’ status is uncertain and that he will need further evaluation.

Duke has faced cramping problems with key players in the past as well. In 2021, Paolo Banchero had similar issues early in his season but went on to lead Duke to the Final Four before becoming the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

As Duke looks to fix these recurring problems, they hope their young players can quickly adapt and stay healthy for the rest of the season.