The hype surrounding Cooper Flagg was more than palpable all summer long around the Duke basketball program, however, fans did not need to dig deep to learn how impressive Kon Knueppel had been during the offseason.
Nearly every player said that the freshman had been the most surprising player during workouts and it translated to the court during the team's scrimmages and exhibitions.
Now, it has carried over to the regular season.
With the spotlight on Flagg playing the team from his home state, Maine, in his first college game, it was Knueppel that stole the show in Durham on Monday night in the 96-62 victory.
The Wisconsin native finished with a game-high 22 points after pouring in 15 points during the first half on 5-of-8 shooting. After beginning the game with a layup, Knueppel missed his first 3-pointer before the flood gates opened.
He made his next three field goals, two of which were 3-pointers, while also completing a 4-point play.
“I thought it was just great for him to see the ball go in early," Jon Scheyer said following the victory.
"He’s a multi-dimensional player...He competes every possession. To me, that just sets a tone, and when there’s a guy on the court you have to find, it just opens up the floor for others too.”
Kon Knueppel's presence opened things up for Cooper Flagg, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists as NBA scouts continue to salivate at the idea of rebuilding a franchise around the budding superstar.
The Blue Devils had six different players reach double figures, including the returning backcourt duo of Tyrese Proctor (10) and Caleb Foster (11) in addition to the transfer combination of Mason Gillis (10) and Sion James (11).
Duke (1-0) will return to the court on Friday, November 6 as the program hosts Army (1-0) at 6:00 p.m. ET (ACC Network) to begin Veteran's Day weekend.