Duke basketball: 3 most intriguing takeaways from first victory

Takeaway No. 1: Duke basketball needs to restock on Gatorade

I am not sure what the problem was, but several Duke basketball players had to exit the game to get treated for cramps. It was like the 2014 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat when everyone was going down with cramping issues.

Maybe the Madison Square Garden staff turned up the heat a little too much, or one of the Duke managers forgot to bring the Gatorade. Trevor Keels, Paolo Banchero, and junior co-captain forward Wendell Moore, who combined for 59 of Duke’s 79 points, all had to leave the game in the second half to receive treatment for their cramping.

The Blue Devils still managed to make a run, even with Banchero on the sidelines, but Kentucky got right back into it after Keels and Moore both had to leave the game with cramping issues.

Hopefully, the Duke players will eat more oranges and bananas while drinking more Gatorade for the next game because the cramps left the Blue Devils in a precarious situation. Fortunately, it all worked out in the end — this time.