KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Duke basketball picked up its second and final exhibition win ahead of the 2025-26 season on Sunday night, taking down No. 17 Tennessee 83-76 at Food City Center.
The No. 5 ranked Blue Devils were trailing the Vols 43-37 at halftime, going on to outscore them 46-33 across the final 20 minutes as they picked up their second exhibition victory.
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“It’s exactly what we wanted for our team, just to put ourselves in a position in a tough game where we have to grow very quickly and I think we did that,” head coach Jon Scheyer said postgame. “I saw just a ton of growth. I think we have a team with really good depth.”
Duke officially opens its season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 vs. Texas at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. It opens play at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8, hosting Western Carolina.
Here are five observations from Duke basketball’s exhibition against Tennessee:
Another huge performance from Cameron Boozer
Cameron Boozer shined in Duke’s exhibition win vs. UCF last week and continued to do so against the Vols. Boozer did not miss a beat, ending the night with 24 points, 23 rebounds and six assists while also drawing six fouls.
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“Cam just battled,” Scheyer said. “He just competed every play and I think his toughness to overcome making mistakes is unique for a freshman. I think he’s gonna, knowing him, he’s gonna be critiquing himself even though he had 24, 23 and six with one turnover, but he just carried us the whole way.”
And how did the freshman critique himself postgame?
“I thought I could have finished at the rim better,” Boozer said. “But you learn from it, you move on, still a great game overall. Great team win for sure, great to come on the road and win in this environment and we are ready for the next one.”
Big second halves from Patrick Ngongba II, Isaiah Evans
Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II set the tone for Duke out of the break, coming out with a dunk and followed by a Ngongba II trey on Duke’s next possession. They weren’t done there, with the duo combining for a 12-4 run across the first three minutes of the first half. It was Evans’ trey at the 18:14 mark of the period that gave Duke its first lead, with the Blue Devils never relinquishing the lead.
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Evans scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and grabbed three of his five rebounds. Ngongba II got in some foul trouble in the first half, but scored 11 of his 15 points in the period and grabbed six of his nine rebounds, finishing the night shooting 5-of-6 from the field.
“I thought collectively, the way Pat stepped up in the second half,” Scheyer said. “Isaiah, I thought had tremendous growth of his overall game. His shot making is obvious, but I think the rest of his game, five rebounds and the way he competed, I’m really proud of him for that.”
Dame Sarr makes Duke debut
After missing Duke’s exhibition vs. UCF with an oblique strain, Dame Sarr made his Blue Devils debut against the Vols. Sarr did not break the starting five for Duke but first entered for Isaiah Evans at the 13:36 mark of the first half. The Oderzo, Italy native finished the night shooting 2-of-6 from the field with five points and a steal across 17 minutes of action.
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Duke perfect from charity stripe in second half
Duke shot 20-for-20 from the free throw line in the second half, including clutch free throws at the end by Caleb Foster, Evans and Ngongba II after Tennessee made it a 3-point game with 37.5 seconds remaining.
“20 for 20 from the free throw line, clutch free throws, that’s huge” Scheyer said.
Duke ended the night 25-of-27 (92.6) from the charity stripe.
Maliq Brown injury update
Maliq Brown remained sidelined for Duke vs. Tennessee with a knee injury, with the goal remaining for Brown to be ready for Duke’s game vs. Texas.
“We’re also just keeping the big picture in mind, he’s so important to us, his ability to change our defense, his ability to play, multiple positions,” Scheyer said. “So I can’t say today, but I can tell you that everything in our power we’re going to do to get him ready for the first game without setting him back for going forward.”
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Despite his absence, Brown makes his voice heard on the Duke bench.
“Big unc right there,” Boozer said. “He does a great job of talking to us, bringing us together. Obviously he didn’t play tonight, but he still affects the game in so many ways.”
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Five observations from Duke basketball’s exhibition win vs Tennessee
