The Blue Devils wasted no time setting the tone last night against Boston College. Less than four minutes in, Duke had already rattled off a 13-0 run, capped by a driving layup from Cam Boozer that forced BC to burn an early timeout.
It was a statement start-one that made clear Duke came to play, and play fast. Boston College didn’t crack the scoreboard until the 14:59 mark, finally halting the bleeding with a layup.
But by then, the damage was done. Duke had seized control, and they never gave it back.
By halftime, the scoreboard read 42-27 in favor of the Blue Devils, and it wasn’t just the score that told the story-it was how they got there. Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba were the engines behind Duke’s first-half dominance, combining physicality, pace, and sharp execution to keep BC on its heels. It was the kind of opening half that reminds you why this Duke team is so dangerous when it’s locked in.
But then came the second half-and let’s just say, it didn’t exactly match the first.
The final 20 minutes were a grind. Sloppy, disjointed, and, frankly, forgettable.
Both teams struggled to find any rhythm, and the numbers back it up. Between them, Duke and BC managed just 47 total points in the second half.
Each side had as many turnovers as made shots. Only two three-pointers dropped, neither of them courtesy of the Blue Devils.
And overall shooting percentages? Both squads failed to crack 40%.
It was a half that felt like it had been dipped in molasses-slow, sticky, and hard to watch.
So, what do we make of that second half? Is it a red flag? A sign of slippage?
Not necessarily.
Jon Scheyer was asked the obvious question postgame: did his team lose focus after building a big lead? He pushed back on the idea, and whether or not he fully believes that, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Yes, Duke’s intensity dipped. That much was clear.
But credit also goes to Boston College, a team that, by the numbers, defends well. They challenged Duke to hit open looks-particularly from deep-and the Blue Devils couldn’t cash in.
That’s been a known vulnerability for this group, and BC leaned into it.
This is where coaching becomes more than just X’s and O’s. It’s about managing human nature.
When a team jumps out to a big early lead, especially with a rivalry game looming, it’s hard not to ease off the gas-even if just a little. And with the Duke-UNC showdown on deck, the distractions are real.
The buzz on campus, the tents outside Cameron, the media attention-it’s all part of the build-up. It’s natural for players to start looking ahead, even subconsciously.
Scheyer knows that. And you could sense in his postgame demeanor that while he wasn’t panicked, he wasn’t exactly thrilled either. This wasn’t about the final score-it was about the opportunity to sharpen his team’s focus in the lead-up to one of the biggest games on the calendar.
This is what rivalry week does. It messes with momentum, tests discipline, and exposes cracks-however small.
Even Duke’s neighbors down the road, who jumped out to a 30-point lead against Syracuse, watched that cushion shrink in the second half. It’s not about panic.
It’s about preparation. And for Duke, the challenge now is to make sure the uneven second half against BC doesn’t follow them into Chapel Hill.
They handled their business early. Now it’s time to clean up the rest.