The Duke basketball program put together its sloppiest half of basketball of the season against Lipscomb on Tuesday night, but was able to adjust in the second half to walk away with a 97-73 victory over the Bisons. Up next, the Blue Devils will face No. 19 Texas Tech on Saturday in what will be their fifth matchup against a ranked opponent. Jon Scheyer's club has gotten out to an 11-0 start to begin the 2025-26 campaign, which includes four ranked wins and five wins over high-major opponents. The scariest part about the Blue Devils' red-hot start to the campaign is the fact that they are far from perfect on the offensive side of the ball.
The Red Raiders are a difficult team to evaluate. After heading into the season as a top-ten team, Texas Tech sits at 8-3, with no bad losses, but also no quality wins. Its losses have come to No. 6 Purdue, No. 18 Illinois, and No. 14 Arkansas, but its best win is over LSU on a neutral floor, which is ranked 35th at KenPom. This is a big opportunity at Madison Square Garden for the Red Raiders to make a statement, and the Blue Devils will have to continue their defensive dominance to squeak out a fifth ranked victory.
3 biggest keys for success for Duke basketball to defeat No. 19 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden
1. Hold Christian Anderson and JT Toppin to under 40 points combined
Texas Tech's star duo of Christian Anderson and JT Toppin has been one of the most productive in the nation, as the two average a combined 41.2 points per game, which makes up about half of the Red Raiders' total scoring output on average. In two of Texas Tech's losses to ranked opponents, it has been held to under 80 points, and that feels like the golden number for the Blue Devils to secure a victory. Toppin is one of the most dominant two-way frontcourt players in the country, with elite instincts on blocking shots and a fantastic ability to finish around the rim. Anderson can score in so many different ways from all levels of the floor, so Cam Boozer and Caleb Foster will need to step up in their primary assignments.
2. Run Texas Tech off the three-point line
The Red Raiders have been held under 80 points in three games this season. In those three contests, they shot a combined 18-of-73 (24.7%) from three. In their other seven games where they eclipsed 80 points, they hit a combined 103-249 (41.4%) from beyond the arc, making at least 11 in each game. Texas Tech has three players shooting above 40% from the perimeter and ranks 43rd in team three-point shooting percentage at 37.6, according to KenPom. Duke can get hot from three with shooters all over the floor, but the consistency hasn't quite been there, as it ranks 112th at KenPom in team three-point shooting percentage at 35.2. However, the Blue Devils are tenth in the nation in defensive three-point shooting percentage at 27.0, so running the Red Raiders off the three-point line will be a major advantage for Jon Scheyer's team.
3. Duke's supporting cast needs to step up
Duke still hasn't established a true consistent second scoring option behind Cam Boozer, but it doesn't necessarily need to if it can win by committee. The Blue Devils tallied 37 bench points against Lipscomb, with eight guys scoring six points or more. In Duke's four ranked matchups so far this season, it has averaged just 10.8 bench points per game. That hasn't mattered much, as Boozer single-handedly carried them offensively down the stretch in several of those games. But Toppin might be Boozer's toughest one-on-one matchup so far this season, and this could be the first time we see the star rookie held in check. Especially if Duke is also able to contain Anderson and Toppin offensively, it will come down to both teams' supporting casts adding contributions.