Duke’s first real October test came with all the noise that comes from a packed Allen Fieldhouse, and the Blue Devils answered with a 90-84 comeback win over Kansas to finish their exhibition slate at 3-0.
It was still an exhibition, sure. But it didn’t feel like one for long. Kansas came out swinging, Duke had to absorb the early punch, and what followed looked a lot more like a live-season gut check than a tune-up.
Kansas jumped ahead 12-6 before Duke found its footing and strung together its first surge. Patrick Ngongba II buried a 3-pointer, Dame Sarr knocked down two free throws and then finished a dunk, and Caleb Foster scored inside as Duke moved in front 15-13.
That was Foster’s only made basket of the afternoon, a reminder that he’s still shaking off some rust. Still, he was on the floor, which matters. He wouldn’t have been back in an October exhibition if there were real concerns about his ankle.
Duke pushed the lead to 30-18 on a Ngongba layup, but Kansas kept coming. The Jayhawks closed the half on a 26-12 run, and Duke’s sloppiness showed up in the usual early-season ways: turnovers, fouls and shaky transition defense. Kansas went into halftime with a 45-43 edge after holding Duke to one field goal over the final 4:06 of the opening half.
Tyran Stokes was a big reason the Jayhawks stayed so dangerous. He’s the top high-school player from last season and is widely projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA draft. Kansas is going to build around him, and this game showed why.
Duke regrouped after halftime and opened the second half with a 6-0 burst that forced Bill Self to call timeout. Kansas answered and the game stayed tight, with 11 ties and 12 lead changes in all.
The turning point came when Kansas led 68-64 with 11:38 left. Duke took over from there.
Ngongba tipped in a bucket to put Duke up 75-71, then added two free throws for a 77-73 margin. John Blackwell hit a 3-pointer, Cayden Boozer threw down a dunk - yes, he can dunk - and Ngongba kept rolling.
Another Blackwell triple stretched the lead to 88-76 with 2:57 remaining.
Duke didn’t finish cleanly, coughing it up and fouling late, but the 12-point cushion had already done the job.
There was plenty to sort through afterward. Duke committed 19 fouls and turned it over 14 times.
Kansas had 20 fouls but only eight turnovers, and the Jayhawks used seven steals to keep Duke from piling up unforced mistakes. The home team also owned the fast break 25-6 and beat Duke badly in bench points, 33-15.
That bench number is the one that stands out. Maybe this is the deepest Duke team yet.
Maybe not yet. With Drew Scharnowski still out, the rotation is not fully formed, and his return should both extend the group and cut into Ngongba’s workload.
For now, Jon Scheyer mostly leaned on seven players in the second half: the five returnees, Blackwell and freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
The younger group had moments. Deron Rippey, Jr. and Bryson Howard each hit a 3-pointer in the first half, and Howard grabbed four rebounds in seven minutes.
Cam Williams picked up two fouls in two minutes. But Scheyer clearly isn’t ready to trust that freshman group across the board just yet, and defense is going to decide how fast that changes.
Duke still did a lot right. The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle 43-30, with Ngongba pulling down 10 and Boumtje Boumtje adding nine. That gave Duke the kind of size advantage that can travel.
Ngongba was the story inside. He looked every bit like the best center in the country, punishing Kansas for 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting and 9-for-10 from the line.
He also had four assists and two blocks. In other words, he was a wrecking ball.
Boumtje Boumtje had his own useful game, even if a few finishes at the rim didn’t drop. Kansas made life physical for him in a way Belmont and Tennessee couldn’t. He still finished with rebounds, three assists and two steals, and those missed bunnies figure to start falling as he adjusts.
Sarr missed all five of his 3-point attempts, but he still got to the line and made 8 of 11 free throws. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
And then there was Blackwell. The preseason buzz around him is loud, and this was exactly the kind of performance that explains why.
He finished with 23 points in 27 minutes, shooting 4 for 7 from 3-point range and 7 for 8 at the line, while also adding four rebounds, four assists and two steals. He did turn it over four times, but when the game got tight, he looked like the guy Duke wanted with the ball.
Cayden Boozer and Sebastian Wilkins also had positive stretches, and Wilkins is starting to look like someone ready to work his way into the rotation.
Duke also shot 27 of 33 from the line, an 82% mark the Blue Devils will take all day long.
The regular season begins at home November 2 against Army, followed by Coastal Carolina on November 5, giving Duke a chance to clean up the issues exposed in Lawrence while continuing to sharpen what already looks strong.
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