Duke Midnight Madness 2015: Score, Reaction for Countdown to Craziness

The defending national champion Duke Blue Devils hosted their annual Countdown to Craziness on Saturday night as a way to get the hype train rolling for the 2015-16 men's college basketball season, and the Cameron Crazies turned out in force to get their first glimpse at this year's squad.

Not surprisingly, energy was flowing through the building as the student section filled up well before the action got underway, as the team's official Twitter account showed:

"

Squad reaction after watching Natty Champ highlights. #LetsGoDuke #Countdown2Craziness pic.twitter.com/jP4sg5gsyt

— Duke M. Basketball (@Duke_MBB) October 17, 2015"

The action started with a hype video that pumped the crowd up even more, as the team's Instagram account noted:

Then, once Cameron Indoor Stadium was electrified, the program unveiled the banner commemorating last season's national title, per Duke Basketball on Twitter:

The annual Blue and White scrimmage took center stage after the banner was unveiled and player introductions commenced. Laura Keeley of the Raleigh News & Observer broke down the lineups for the first half of the intrasquad showcase:

The White squad prevailed, 27-21, in the first half of the scrimmage as freshman guard Luke Kennard dropped nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, including a 1-of-3 performance from three-point range.

Brandon Ingram led the way with nine points for the Blue squad, and as those in attendance noted, the phenom was easily the most compelling player on the court.

DukeReport.com had a lofty comparison to make for the prospective NBA lottery pick:

According to 247Sports' Adam Rowe, Ingram's physical qualities make him an imposing presence:

However, it wasn't all pretty for Ingram and Kennard, per DukeReport.com:

A couple of seasoned Blue Devils who will be tasked with stabilizing the squad as the year gets started also impressed, per Keeley: 

The squads switched up for the second half of the scrimmage, as Keeley noted, with Ingram and Kennard running the ship for a Blue squad that fell to Grayson Allen's White team 22-18. 

Allen stole the show in the second half of the scrimmage, weaving his way in and out of the Blue defense with dribble drives to assert his presence. The combo guard went on to finish with 10 points and two assists while hitting four of seven attempts from the field. 

Duke will need more of the same from the sophomore as the season begins. 

With 2015 championship staples Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow all out of the equation and making nice paychecks in the NBA, head coach Mike Krzyzewski knows his team needs to adapt. 

"We’re putting in a different offensive system, to personalize it for these guys," Krzyzewski said during an open practice earlier this month, per Keeley. "And a different defensive system so that we can max out on the talents that they have."

Ranked No. 4 in the USA Today preseason coaches poll, Duke expects to compete for the ACC title with a top-ranked North Carolina squad that looks poised to make noise after bowing out of the 2015 NCAA tournament in the regional semifinals.

The Blue Devils are a perennial power with the best coach in the sport, so they should be in the thick of the national title conversation by the time March rolls around. However, integrating several inexperienced pieces into a revised scheme will require patience as Duke seeks to cut down the nets on the game's biggest stage for the second year in a row.