Duke finished its preseason on a high note Sunday, taking down No. 17 Kansas 90-84 in an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse. With the Blue Devils now 3-0 in preseason play, Jon Scheyer’s group heads into the regular season with plenty of momentum and the kind of buzz that comes with looking like one of the nation’s elite two-way teams.
One of the clearest reasons for that optimism is sophomore Dame Sarr. The Duke wing has kept standing out across the preseason, and the most telling part of his rise is that his improvement hasn’t come in the area everyone expected.
A lot of the offseason chatter around Sarr centered on his three-point shot. He was already one of the better on-ball defenders in college basketball last season, but his perimeter jumper never became a reliable weapon. As a freshman, he shot 32.3% from deep on 3.5 attempts per game.
That’s why a sophomore breakout had so much appeal. If the shot came around, Sarr could project as one of the country’s best 3-and-D wings in 2026-27. But through Duke’s scrimmage and three preseason games, the more eye-opening development has been everything else.
Against Belmont, Sarr tied for the game-high with 19 points and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals. He knocked down two of his four field goals from beyond the arc in that one.
Against Tennessee, he scored 15 points, but only one of his six makes came from three. Then against Kansas, he finished with 12 points and went 0-for-5 from deep.
The bigger story is how Sarr is getting those points. He’s not just waiting for open looks on the perimeter anymore.
He’s attacking lanes, turning down outside shots, getting downhill and forcing defenders to meet him at the rim. He’s also taken a real step forward as a passer and as a cutter.
Over the three preseason games, Sarr shot 12-of-24 from the field, 3-of-11 from three and 19-of-24 at the free-throw line. He has scored in all three contests, but the production hasn’t been driven by a breakout shooting night from distance. It’s been built on broader growth in his game.
That’s what makes this so encouraging for Duke. Sarr may have been the Blue Devils’ best all-around player in the preseason, but it didn’t happen because the three-pointer suddenly became his calling card. He has shown sharper footwork, more willingness to absorb contact and better movement without the ball.
The free-throw numbers tell part of that story too. As a freshman, about 64% of Sarr’s shot attempts came from three-point range, and he made only 53.2% of his free throws while getting to the line 1.6 times a night. This preseason, he’s made about 80% of his free throws while averaging eight trips to the stripe per game.
So even without the perimeter jump everyone was waiting for, Sarr has already shown he’s much more than a 3-and-D wing. The shot will have its time. For now, he’s giving Duke something even more valuable: rapid growth in every other part of the game.
In Other News...
Dukes Overachieving Start Is Being Driven By An Unexpected Group
Dukes strong start has not just been about a few returning faces settling into bigger roles. A surprising core of transfer additions has helped shape the Blue Devils identity on both sides of the ball, with wideout Jonah Burton emerging as the teams leading receiver after stops at Baylor and Idaho State. He has given the passing game a reliable target, while Rutgers transfer CJ Campbell has added balance as a complementary back.
The impact has been just as noticeable in the secondary, where cornerbacks Kyon Loud and Dylan Flowers have become key pieces after arriving from Montana and Western Kentucky. Their presence has helped stabilize a defense that looks more comfortable and more competitive than it did a year ago. For Duke, the story of this fast start keeps circling back to a group that did not arrive together, but has quickly become central to what the team is building. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Allen Fieldhouse Win Made Two Early Difference-Makers Hard To Ignore
The most encouraging part of Dukes early preseason run is not just that it handled Belmont and Tennessee before outlasting Kansas in the toughest test yet, but that the Blue Devils are already getting meaningful production from a couple of players who were not expected to carry the entire load. Junior center Patrick Ngongba looked far more imposing inside, finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds while showing the kind of physicality and passing that can make him more than just a paint presence. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell also made his mark, scoring 23 points with a style that fit the moment because he did not try to force much of anything.
Against Kansas, that balance mattered. Duke also cleaned up one area that had the potential to tilt a close game the other way, shooting 81.8% from the line in a victory that turned into a useful early measuring stick. The longer this preseason stretch goes on, the more these two stand out as players who can change the look of the rotation, which makes the next test worth watching closely for a team still sorting out how its pieces fit. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Just Got Two Weekend Wins Fans Should Feel Good About
Duke picked up a pair of morale-boosting weekend wins, and both came in ways that should leave the fan base feeling encouraged about where things are headed. On the football side, the Blue Devils survived a close one against Virginia by leaning on a late trick play, with Walker Eget finding Nate Sheppard on a double pass before Sheppard hit Brody Keefe for a touchdown that swung the game.
Patrick Smith-Young then finished it off with an interception on Virginias final possession, giving Duke a hard-earned finish in a game that could have gone either way. On the hardwood, the Blue Devils kept the momentum rolling by going on the road and beating Kansas 90-84 in an exhibition, with Patrick Ngongba and John Blackwell leading the way as preseason play wrapped up and the regular season drew near. [Read more 🡒]