Duke’s preseason has been loud, and Dame Sarr has been right in the middle of it.
The Blue Devils have opened with two overwhelming exhibition wins, piling up more than 100 points in each game while beating Belmont by 40 and No. 8 Tennessee by 39.
Jon Scheyer’s team has one more tune-up left, a Sunday matchup with No. 17 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.
Through those first two games, Duke has looked loaded on both ends, and Sarr has emerged as one of the biggest reasons why.
The sophomore wing was already a major piece of Duke’s identity last season. He started 30 games as a freshman and established himself as the team’s best all-around defender, with the kind of on-ball work that made him one of the top defenders in college basketball. EvanMiya had Duke ranked third nationally in adjusted team defensive efficiency with Sarr on the floor, a reminder of how much he mattered in that department.
Offensively, though, there was more room to grow. Sarr came in with the reputation of a capable outside shooter, but the shot never fully settled in from game to game. He hit 32.3% from deep on 3.5 attempts per game as a freshman, a number that hinted at potential without yet turning into a reliable weapon.
That’s why the early signs this fall are so interesting. Sarr hasn’t just looked like a more confident shooter; he’s looked like a different kind of scorer.
He changed his frame in the offseason, and the added strength is showing up in the way he attacks. He isn’t just using driving lanes.
He’s embracing contact, getting defenders on his body, and finishing through pressure at the rim.
The box scores back that up. Against Belmont, Sarr matched the game high with 19 points and added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 25 minutes. Against Tennessee, he followed with 15 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 25 minutes.
There’s been growth in the little things, too. Sarr is already showing better passing touch and sharper cutting, but the bigger shift is where his shots are coming from.
Last season, about 64% of his attempts came from beyond the arc because that was the role he played. In these two exhibitions, only six of his 16 shot attempts have been threes, which works out to 37.5%.
It’s a tiny sample, but the direction is obvious: he’s spending more time near the basket.
That aggression has also sent him to the line more often, and that was another weak spot a year ago. As a freshman, Sarr averaged 1.6 free-throw attempts per game and shot 53.2% there.
In Duke’s first two preseason games, he’s gone 11-for-13 from the stripe, good for 84.6%. Ten of those attempts came against Belmont, but the bigger point remains the same - he’s hunting the paint and converting at the line.
Sarr’s ceiling now looks even higher than the simple 3-and-D label that once fit him. He may not be the best pure offensive player on the roster, but he has a real chance to become Duke’s most versatile and steady presence in 2026-27. The early jump is already impressive, and it’s happening in October.
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 🡒]