Dereck Lively II to miss Duke's season opener vs Jacksonville

Dereck Lively II, the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, will not suit up for Duke tonight in the Blue Devils’ season opener against Jacksonville, per the Fayetteville Observer.

Lively has been recovering from a calf injury, and the 7-foot-1 star big man is considered day-to-day, according to first-year head coach Jon Scheyer. Lively didn’t play in any of Duke’s preseason exhibitions.

On top of the Lively injury, Duke will also be missing freshman Dariq Whitehead – the No. 2 player in the 2022 class, per the On3 Consensus – after fracturing his foot in August. Whitehead was the 2022 Naismith High School Player of the Year, and will likely miss the first couple weeks of the season.

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Lively’s injury timeline is up in the air as of now, but Duke fans will hope for him to be back in time for Friday’s game against USC Upstate.

Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski sign NIL deals with Cuts Clothing

Duke freshman forward Dariq Whitehead and center Kyle Filipowski have signed NIL deals with Cuts Clothing. Whitehead and Filipowski, ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in the On3 Consensus for the 2022 recruiting class, respectively, were the first two players to commit to first-year head coach Jon Scheyer, who replaced Mike Krzyzewski.

Duke’s top-ranked 2022 recruiting class also includes center Dereck Lively II, who was the No. 1 player in the On3 Consensus, plus former five-star forward Mark Mitchell, four-star guards Tyrese Proctor and Jaden Schutt, and four-star center Christian Reeves. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.

Cuts Clothing previously signed NIL deals with Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, USC wide receiver Mario Williams, Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers and Syracuse guard Joe Girard III. The company sells what it describes as “workleisure” apparel.

“It aims to outfit the world’s most ambitious people, and Whitehead and Filipowski embody these values to the fullest,” according to a press release. “Throughout this partnership, Cuts looks to outfit both players with the apparel they need to traverse their busy lives as students, athletes and young professionals.”

Cuts Clothing says the agreed-upon deliverables Whitehead and Filipowski include an appearance on Cuts Clothing’s “For The Sport of Business Podcast,” a meet-and-green event in Durham, North Carolina, and an ask me anything session on the Cuts Clothing Discord channel.