“Isaiah Evans is a pro”: Duke fans feast their eyes as Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and more make season debuts in friendly matchup

Duke basketball fans enjoyed a sneak peek into the Blue Devils lineup for the coming 2024-25 season with the "Countdown to Craziness" event on Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

Fans had an opportunity to see the hyped freshmen class of 2024 led by five-star recruits Cooper Flagg, No. 4-ranked Khaman Maluach, No. 13 Isaiah Evans and No. 18 Kon Knueppel, as well as four-star high school pickups Patrick Ngongba II and Darren Harris.

Duke fans were ecstatic and energetic from the players' introduction. The Blue Devils roster was divided into Team White and Team Blue and played two 10-minute games. Team White emerged victorious in game one, 20-17, before Team Blue exacted revenge in the second matchup, 37-21.

Freshman Isaiah Evans scored eight points to lead Team White's offense in Game One, while Kon Kneuppel also finished with eight markers for the losing team. Game Two saw Caleb Foster erupt for 14 points on 5 of 5 shooting for Team Blue, while Cooper Flagg led Team White with nine.

Fans on YouTube were impressed by how the freshmen played in the scrimmage, with one user comparing Isaiah Evans' performance in both games as good for the professional ranks.

Duke fan reaction 1 (Image Source: YouTube.com/@SlamHS)

Duke fan reaction No. 2 (Image Source: YouTube.com/@SlamHS)

Duke fan reaction No. 3 (Image Source: (Image Source: YouTube.com/@SlamHS)

Duke fan reaction No. 4 (Image Source: YouTube.com/@SlamHS)

Other fans were hyping up the group, comparing it to the batch of Zion Williamson.

Duke fan reaction No. 5 (Image Source: YouTube.com/@SlamHS)

Duke fan reaction No. 6 (Image Source: YouTube.com/SlamHS)

The full recap of the Countdown to Craziness was posted by Slam High School on its YouTube page on Saturday and generated 95,000 views. Check it out below:

---

Duke to play exhibition games against Lincoln, Arizona State

Duke is undergoing intense preparations to put up an impressive performance in the 2024-25 college basketball season and possibly win their first national title in 10 years. The Blue Devils will test their readiness with two exhibition games before their season opens on Nov. 4.

The Jon Scheyer-coached squad will take on Lincoln on Oct. 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium and will have another scrimmage against Arizona State on Oct. 27 for charity.

Duke will begin its regular season against Maine on Nov. 4 and will meet Army four days later. The team will face its first challenge against Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Nov. 12 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Last year, the Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time under the Jon Scheyer era, upsetting South Region No. 1 seed Houston. However, their run was stopped by a streaking ACC foe, NC State, to end their season.

---

Will Duke run away with its sixth national title — and first since 2015 — this year? Let us know your views in the comments section.