The message came from Duke's Khaman Maluach: "Big time." Maluach has made plenty of news himself as he elected to head into the NBA draft. The 18-year-old from South Sudan stands 7-foot-2 and projects to be a top 10 pick in the draft.

Duke freshman big man Khaman Maluach is jumping to the NBA. The program announced Sunday in a social media post that the 7-foot-2, 250-pound Maluach would go the one-and-done route after helping the Blue Devils reach the Final Four.

The Duke Blue Devils were favorites to win the 2025 men’s NCAA championship, but they lost surprisingly to the Houston Cougars in the Final Four. Since the tournament ended, several Blue Devils have declared for the NBA draft,