A top 10 showdown in early November means all eyes are on us duke vs. Auburn Wednesday evening. When the fans tuned in ESPN In the first half, they saw quite a performance from the Blue Devils’ rookie Isaiah Evans.

Evans had a game-changing performance in the first 20 minutes, hitting six three-pointers for an 18-point performance. He led the attack as Duke entered the locker room with a 43-36 lead over No. 2 Auburn Jon Scheyer it was all a smile.

In conversation with ESPN Kris BuddenScheyer – while trying to drown out the noise at Cameron Indoor Stadium – praised Evans’ strong performance. He particularly pointed to the work he did after training that helped prepare him for the challenge.

“I’m so proud of him because there are still 20 minutes until the end,” Scheyer said. “But as a freshman, he worked every day before and after practice. He may have a different attitude. I knew he would be ready to go. He is a great player. We believe in him like crazy. Let’s put another 20 minutes together, but I also love how our guys found him.”

Evans was a key part of Duke’s recruiting class this year. According to that, he came in as a four-star prospect and the No. 15 overall player starting in the 2024 cycle On3 industry rankinga weighted average that takes into account all four major recruiting media companies. Entering Wednesday’s game, he was averaging 7.3 points in his first seven appearances of the year.

But when his number was called, Isaiah Evans rose to the challenge. He helped lead the rally after Auburn took an early 13-2 lead. From there, Duke outscored the Tigers 41-23 and Evans was the only Blue Devil in double figures. Caleb Foster had nine points and Cooper Flag had six points to go and 10 rebounds in the first half.

What has changed, Scheyer said, is Duke has increased its defensive intensity. That had to be the key in the second half, too, considering how many playmakers Auburn has.

“We were harder on the ball,” said Scheyer when asked what changed after the Tigers’ early run. “On the first play they get an offensive rebound. These guys crack like crazy, they can make contested threes. You have to finish possessions…and you have to keep them out of transition. They don’t just have one player who’s great. Anyone on the floor can go.”