Duke looked every bit like a top-tier team on Tuesday night, rolling past No. 8 Tennessee, 103-64, in an exhibition at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils had six players reach double figures, with freshman Deron Rippey Jr. setting the pace at 21 points. John Blackwell added 18 on 6-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. Dame Sarr scored 15, Patrick Ngongba II finished with 13, and Sebastian Wilkins and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje each chipped in 11.
Duke also got a big all-around night from Cayden Boozer, who handed out a game-high six assists, grabbed five rebounds and finished at plus-24. Ngongba II led the Blue Devils with seven rebounds, while Rippey paired his scoring with three assists and a game-high three steals.
The Blue Devils imposed their will on both ends from the start. Tennessee shot 20-of-59 from the field and just 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. Duke also owned the glass, 44-29, and dominated points in the paint, 46-16.
The opening stretch set the tone immediately. Duke opened on a 17-2 burst and kept Tennessee without a field goal for nearly six minutes. Ngongba II was central to that early run, scoring seven of his own as four different Blue Devils joined the scoring.
The margin kept climbing from there. A 12-2 spurt pushed the lead to 29-6 after a fast-break layup from Sarr with 10:49 left in the first half, and the Blue Devils eventually stretched it to 42-14 with a little over six minutes remaining before halftime.
Tennessee managed a 13-4 run before the break, then banked in a buzzer-beater from beyond midcourt to cut into the deficit, but Duke still went to halftime up 54-30.
Blackwell then took over for a stretch in the second half, putting together seven straight points with a fast-break dunk, a three-pointer and a pull-up jumper to make it 70-36 with 16:10 remaining.
Boumtje Boumtje later buried a three to push Duke's lead to 86-46, and Rippey closed with his own seven-point run over two minutes. That surge carried him past 20 points and lifted Duke's biggest lead to 92-50 with 5:52 left.
From there, the teams traded baskets the rest of the way as Duke finished off the 103-64 win.
No. 2 Duke now heads to No.
17 Kansas for its final preseason game. The Blue Devils and Jayhawks will meet at Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.
The game will be shown live on ESPN.
In Other News...
Duke Fans Finally Got An Answer On Kimari Robinsons Sideline Incident
A tense sideline moment during a recent game drew plenty of attention from Duke fans, and Manny Diaz addressed it afterward in clear terms. Kimari Robinson pushed his trainers hand away after getting frustrated while DaShawn Stone was down injured on the field, and Diaz said the reaction fell below the programs standards.
Robinson has since apologized both privately and publicly, and he also acknowledged the mistake in his own statement while expressing concern for Stone. For Duke, the important part now is that the matter is being handled internally, but the incident offered a glimpse of how quickly emotions can boil over when a teammate is hurt and the pressure is on. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Jake Dickert
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Several names are already circulating, and one that will draw extra attention in the ACC is Jake Dickert. Along with Manny Diaz, Jason Eck, Bryant Haines, Mike Shanahan, Charles Huff, Brian Kelly and Dan Mullen, Dickert is being discussed as part of Marylands early pool of possible candidates, and the search will be closely watched by everyone in the league who understands how one move like this can ripple outward. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Guard Rotation Just Got More Complicated Before Kansas
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For a team that has already gotten solid production from its other guards, Fosters availability only adds another layer to an already crowded backcourt picture. Duke has handled his absence well so far, but the bigger question now is how the rotation settles once he is healthy enough to rejoin it, with Scheyer indicating Foster should be ready when the regular season opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]