It has been 218 days since Duke men’s basketball last took the court. The Blue Devils are finally back.

In the season opener against Maine, Duke fielded a trio of freshmen as starters for the first time, and they combined for 46 points in a 96-62 win. Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg led the way with 22 and 18, respectively, and nine places The Blue Devils ended the game with a basket.

“I thought there was a lot to clean up and a lot to improve, but I like the effort,” head coach Jon Scheyer said after the game. “… I really liked the fact that Cooper and Kon played their first game the way they did. And I thought Tyrese (Proctor), and even though he didn’t get a lot of shots, just the way he made others better. I could go through every guy.

After a relatively cold first half from outside the arc, the Blue Devils looked inside to warm up in the second half. Freshman Khaman Maluach, after receiving a tackle on defense, finished strong through contact and scored a basket of his own. The next time on the court, Flagg isolated himself against a much smaller Kellen Tynes and made an easy basket in the paint.

A few moments later, Flagg had the ball in his hands again on a baseline attack, but this time he decided to distribute it. Flagg found Knueppel in the corner with his hands ready, and the 6-foot-2 wing rose for a beautiful three-pointer. Duke isn’t all freshmen, however, as Tulane University graduate Sion James followed Knueppel with two shots of his own, extending the lead to 60-39.

On the other hand, the Blue Devils asserted their will. Duke was bigger than the Black Bears at every position, chasing ballplayers and routinely forcing Maine into shots that fell short. While the Black Bears shot over 50% of their shots from the field in the first half, only 26.1% of their shots were on target in the second half.

The Blue Devils were also able to use their depth on defense to keep their bodies fresh. When junior Maliq Brown subbed in for Maluach, Duke didn’t let up for a second, and James’ physicality also helped keep things moving.

Mason Gillis, the last transfer player to see meaningful minutes, gave the Blue Devils a new offense. A holdover from his time at Purdue, Gillis constantly moved away from the ball, exemplified by an easy layup off a backdoor cut that increased the score to 62-43.

“I think what you’re seeing is just a more modern roster that Jon has brought to the team that allows them to be extremely versatile,” Maine head coach Chris Markwood said. “…I would be shocked if they weren’t one of the top five or 10 defenses in the country during the course of the year.”

The first half was a showcase of Duke’s freshman sensations.

The Blue Devils wasted no time early in their season as Knueppel snaked his way to the basket for a layup on their first possession. On the other hand, Duke repeatedly forced Maine into rash shots – which led to numerous aerial balls and turnovers. That defensive energy helped propel the Blue Devils’ offense up the court, and they made eight of their first 10 shots.

On one such play, Knüppel pushed the ball away from a Black Bear and quickly converted it into two points. Just moments later, another steal came from Flagg, and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown jumped a passing lane to score a takeaway of his own. This time, Knueppel caught the loose ball and immediately rose to shoot, knocking down a three-pointer while also drawing a foul for a four-point play.

By the time Maine stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer from Christopher Mantis, the Milwaukee native already had 13 points.

In addition to Knueppel’s early contributions, Maluach stood out from the crowd. The native of Rumbek in South Sudan threw two early throws and two monstrous blocks.

Flagg’s biggest impact came elsewhere, as he finished the first 20 minutes with four assists, three rebounds and a steal, a team-high. Still, the Newport, Maine native made his own highlight play by hitting an emphatic slam. He started in the middle of the paint, and no black bear dared to meet him at the edge as he nearly tore them off.

“Everyone has confidence in each other,” Proctor said of the team’s arsenal of offensive weapons. “We just look for our guys in the right spots and everyone can make free shots. Once we start swinging the ball from side to side, we get some great stuff.”

Maine did its part to keep things close in the first half, largely thanks to six offensive rebounds. So despite the Blue Devils’ fireworks in the first half, they took the lead by just 11, 44-33.

The Blue Devils stay home to face Army on Friday before traveling to Atlanta for a matchup with No. 23 Kentucky on Nov. 12.