Duke’s trip to Illinois turned into a statement win, and the Blue Devils needed only one half to prove it. After entering Saturday as six-point underdogs, they walked out with an upset victory and a 2-0 start to the season, powered most of all by a defense that completely flipped the script after halftime.
The first half belonged more to Illinois, which put up 24 points across the opening two quarters. But the second half was a different story. Duke gave up just three points over the final 30 minutes, and the turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Evan Smith picked off a pass with 7:21 left.
Safety Andrew Pellicciotta was everywhere for the Blue Devils, finishing with 11 total tackles, including nine solo stops. His work helped anchor a defense that Manny Diaz said found its best form when the game was on the line.
"Defensively it was all about turning the game around," Diaz said. "Sometimes halftime adjustments are about doing something different, and sometimes halftime adjustments are about doing something better.
"I just feel like we presented ourselves as the best version of ourselves (in the second half)."
On offense, Nate Sheppard again drew attention, while Walker Eget’s play also showed improvement. But this one belonged to the defense, which made sure Duke’s early-season momentum stayed intact.
Next up is Stanford, and it comes with added weight as Duke’s first ACC game of the year. The Blue Devils can keep pace with Miami, SMU and Virginia, all of whom are 1-0 in conference play, with a win. Stanford arrives at 1-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play after a 45-6 loss to Miami.
In Other News...
Jon Scheyer Still Wants One Kind Of Player At Duke
Jon Scheyers recruiting pitch at Duke still starts well beyond points, rebounds and rankings. As he continues the programs long-running emphasis on building around character, he wants players who come with a strong support system and the kind of independence that suggests they can handle more than just the next game. It is a familiar through line from the Mike Krzyzewski era, with families still part of the process and the off-court side of a prospect carrying real weight in Durham.
Scheyers view is that the Duke experience should prepare players for more than basketball success, and that means being ready for adversity, mistakes and the lessons that follow. He believes the right prospects are not only talented enough to fit the Blue Devils, but grounded enough to navigate the hard parts of college life and still grow from them. In his mind, the best fits are the ones who can lean on others without needing to be carried. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Has Duke Winning With One Problem Fans Will Hate
Manny Diaz has Duke winning, but the financial backdrop around the football program still looks more like a warning sign than a celebration. The Blue Devils roster spending for the 2026 season is estimated between $12 million and $15 million, a figure that leaves them 67th out of 68 Power Four teams and well below the ACC average, even as the team has stayed competitive and carried momentum from last seasons ACC championship into a strong early run this year.
The good news for Duke is that the program plans to spend more on the roster in the future, which should help it keep pace in a league where money increasingly shapes the ceiling. The hard part is less about the plan than the timing, because Diaz has already shown he can win with limited resources in Durham, and that kind of success does not go unnoticed for long. [Read more 🡒]
Duke May Already Have An In-State Recruiting Battle To Watch
A quiet recruiting subplot may already be forming for Duke, even if the staff is still in the early stages of sorting through the 2029 class. Grant Duggins, a sophomore from Greensboro Day School, recently made an unofficial visit to campus and has become a name worth tracking for the Blue Devils as they keep an eye on in-state talent with a national profile.
Duggins already has offers from Kansas, NC State, Florida State and Iowa, among others, and the level of attention makes it clear he is not going unnoticed. Duke has not officially targeted sophomores yet, but the mutual interest is there, and with Duggins sitting as the top player in North Carolina for his class, this could become a recruitment the Blue Devils cannot afford to ignore. [Read more 🡒]