Jon Scheyer Hypes Up Unsung Duke Basketball Catalyst

• "Nik is just a winner, man," Scheyer said about the 18-year-old. "He's a big-time competitor. I thought he had key rebounds, especially down the stretch in traffic. His ability to stay in front of guards — he guarded [Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas] a lot, he guarded [Darius Acuff Jr.] — he made life difficult [for the Razorbacks]. They hit a couple shots, and he's just a connecting, winning player on offense.

• "I'm really proud of him because he's all about the right stuff. His scoring is going to come too. But I think he showed how he can really impact winning tonight."

In fact, the 6-foot-8, 215-pound McDonald's All-American from Los Angeles finished with a game-high plus/minus of +18 across his career-high 28 minutes of action. He tallied only four points and five rebounds but didn't commit a single turnover, and again, he provided the Blue Devils with a boost in the toughness department on several occasions.

Through his eight outings as a Blue Devil, Khamenia is now averaging 7.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 21.0 minutes off the bench. He's shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 40.0 percent beyond the arc, and 57.1 percent at the foul line, and he's one of six Duke basketball players averaging over 1.2 makes from three per game.

Nikolas Khamenia and the Blue Devils (8-0, 0-0 ACC) next face the defending national champions in the No. 10-ranked Florida Gators (5-2, 0-0 SEC). That showdown, part of the annual ACC/SEC Challenge, gets underway in Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

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