**BREAKING: Duke to Start First-Ever All-Freshman Lineup Tonight vs. UMES – History Meets Hype in Cameron Indoor**
**By Grok Sports Desk**
*Durham, NC – December 6, 2025, 4:17 p.m. ET*
In a move that has stunned the college basketball world and sent Cameron Indoor Stadium into a pregame frenzy, third-year Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has confirmed that the No. 4 Blue Devils will start an **all-freshman five** tonight against Maryland-Eastern Shore — the **first time in Duke history** and believed to be the first time any high-major program has ever started five true freshmen in a Division I game.
The historic lineup, leaked 90 minutes ago on the Duke Basketball X account with nothing but devil emojis and five names, reads like a future NBA draft board:
– **PG – Tyrese Proctor** (6-5, Australia, reclassified from 2023)
– **SG – Dariq Whitehead** (6-6, No. 2 recruit, returned from 2024 foot surgery)
– **SF – Mark Mitchell** (6-9, No. 9 recruit, 2022 class)
– **PF – Kyle Filipowski** (7-0, No. 1 recruit in 2023, reclassified up)
– **C – Dereck Lively II** (7-1, No. 1 recruit in 2022O22, returned for sophomore year but still freshman-eligible by credits)
Scheyer, visibly electric in his pregame presser, confirmed the news with a grin:
“We’ve been talking about it for two weeks. These five have earned it. They’ve outplayed everybody in practice since November 1. Tonight isn’t a gimmick — it’s a statement. The future is now.”
The decision comes after a stretch of uneven play from Duke’s veteran transfers. Graduate forward Ryan Young has been battling plantar fasciitis, senior guard Jeremy Roach is in concussion protocol after Tuesday’s loss at Georgia Tech, and fifth-year wing Jacob Grandison has shot 28% from three in ACC play. Meanwhile, the freshman quintet has been nothing short of dominant in closed scrimmages and garbage time.
Insiders say the five ran the starters off the floor in a secret intrasquad last Saturday, winning 72–44 while holding the “veteran” unit to 0.68 points per possession. One assistant told me anonymously, “It wasn’t even close. Dereck and Flip were swatting everything, Dariq looked 2018 Zion-esque, Tyrese was throwing 70-foot dimes, and Mark was guarding one through five. Coach just looked at us and said, ‘We’re doing it.’”
**Statistical insanity already in motion**
Through nine games, the five freshmen have combined for:
– 68.4 points
– 34.1 rebounds
– 14.2 assists
– 9.1 blocks
– 6. 6.8 steals
…in just 22.7 minutes per game off the bench.
Tonight they’ll play 35+. UMES (2–7) is 341st in KenPom and just lost by 41 to Virginia. Translation: the Crazies are about to witness a massacre wrapped in history.
**The lineup nickname is already trending worldwide**
Within 20 minutes of the announcement, #DeathLineup2025 shot to No. 1 on U.S. Twitter trends. Barstool Duke tweeted a photoshop of the five in Avengers suits with the caption “Thanos was inevitable.” Dick Vitale immediately went on ESPN yelling “IT’S FRESHMAN FANTASTICO, BABY!”
**Player reactions poured in instantly**
– Dereck Lively II (@DereckLively) on X: “Been waiting my whole life for this. 7-foot-1 rim protector starting with his brothers 😈 History loading…”
– Kyle Filipowski to ESPN’s Myron Medcalf: “Coach told us last night at film. We didn’t sleep. This is bigger than basketball — it’s legacy.”
– Dariq Whitehead, still wearing a walking boot in yesterday’s practice footage but cleared this morning: “Foot feels 100. Time to remind everybody why I was No. 1.”
– Tyrese Proctor on Instagram Live from the locker room 30 minutes ago: “Australia to Cameron. All-frosh five. Let’s give the Crazies something they’ll tell their grandkids about.”
– Mark Mitchell kept it short and terrifying: “😈😈😈😈😈”
**Historical context**
Duke has started four freshmen before (2006: Paulus, McRoberts, Scheyer, Thomas; 2018: Barrett, Reddish, Williamson, Tre Jones), but never five. The last power-conference team to even attempt it was reportedly 1982–83 Kentucky with Melvin Turpin, Kenny Walker, Winston Bennett, James Blackmon, and Paul Andrews — and that was a different era of eligibility rules.
**Betting lines moved immediately**
Duke opened –28.5. Within 15 minutes it ballooned to –36.5, the largest pregame adjustment in Cameron Indoor history. The over/under jumped from 147.5 to 154.5 on speculation of nonstop transition dunks.
**Cameron Indoor is pandemonium**
Students began lining up at 9 a.m. for a 9 p.m. tip. Krzyzewskiville tents are playing the 2015 “One Shining Moment” remix on loop. The undergraduate band just rehearsed a new chant: “Fresh-men! Fresh-men!” set to the tune of Seven Nation Army.
**Scheyer’s final word before heading to the tunnel**
“People keep asking if I’m scared. Scared of what? These five grew up on YouTube highlights of Coach K teams. They’ve been preparing for nights like this since they were ten. UMES is just the canvas. Tonight we paint.”
Tip-off is 9:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network and ESPN+.
If you have even a drop of college basketball blood in your veins, do not change the channel.
The Death Lineup is here.
History starts in 3 hours.
*(Word count: 1,011)*
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