The Duke basketball program kicked off its 2025-26 campaign with a 75-60 victory over Texas in the inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational. Not only did Duke fans enjoy an opening victory, but they also learned a lot about the team. Granted, the way this Blue Devils squad operates in March will probably be completely different than it did last night. However, there is still a lot to take away. Some aspects of the game were good, and some were bad, both on the individual and team levels. Let's dive into some key observations from Duke's victory over Texas.
4 massive observations from Duke basketball's win over Texas
1. Duke is much farther along defensively than offensively
The Blue Devils were dominant defensively for all 40 minutes. They played connected, hedged everything, communicated, and made life extremely difficult for Texas's ball handlers. Sean Miller likes to get out and run on offense, and Duke shut that down completely. Especially in the second half, the Longhorns had no transition opportunities and had practically no easy shots at all. Duke outscored Texas 43-27 in the second half after entering the halftime locker room down 33-32, but it's clear the team's defense is much farther along than its offense. Duke relied on runs to take big leads, as it was scoring drought after scoring drought. Sophomore Isaiah Evans provided the bulk of the scoring in the first half as Cameron Boozer was held scoreless. The Blue Devils limited Texas to 32.2% shooting from the field and 29.4% shooting from three, while forcing 16 turnovers. If Duke didn't look like potentially the best defensive team in the country, that contest could've been a lot closer than it was.
2. Duke is a second half team right now
In both of Duke's exhibition matchups as well as its regular season opener, it's looked like a completely different team in the second half. Against UCF, Duke went into the half up 40-39, then went on to win 96-71. Against Tennessee, Duke was down 43-37 at halftime, then outscored the Vols 46-33 in the second half to win 83-76. It was the same makeup against Texas, as Duke entered the halftime locker room 33-32 and ended up picking up a 75-60 victory. This isn't necessarily a major flaw, given how early it is in the season, but Jon Scheyer will need to figure out how to get his guys off to hotter starts with the grueling non-conference slate they will play. In November alone, Duke will face No. 19 Kansas and No. 14 Arkansas on neutral floors. The Blue Devils may not be able to get away with sluggish offensive starts in the future.
3. Isaiah Evans is this team's most important player
After Duke's first game, it looks like the Blue Devils will go as far as Evans will take them. Freshman star Cameron Boozer will be Duke's go-to guy on the offensive side of the ball, and everyone can expect a double-double from the big man every night. However, there will probably be times when Boozer is playing well and Duke is still down or in a tight contest. When the Blue Devils need a spark of energy or a scoring run, it has to come from Evans. Against Texas, the sophomore tallied a game-high 23 points on 7-of-13 (53.8%) shooting from the field and 4-of-8 (50%) shooting from three. The 6'6" wing was Duke's lone piece of consistency on the offensive side of the ball in the first half, and his constant movement off the ball to get free and make himself available can turn him into one of the most prolific scorers in the ACC if he can shoot it at a high clip consistently.
4. Duke might not be as dominant on the glass as originally thought
Duke shredded its opponents on the glass in both of its exhibition matchups. Against UCF, Duke out-rebounded the Knights 54-41 overall and 18-10 on the offensive side. Those 18 offensive boards turned into 22 second-chance points, compared to just seven for the Knights. Against Tennessee, the rebounding margin was much closer, but the Blue Devils still won the second-chance points category 16-12. However, Duke lost the physicality battle in the first half against Texas, losing the board clash 25-15 overall and 12-6 on the offensive glass. The Blue Devils cleaned it up well in the second half, completely taking away second-chance opportunities for the Longhorns, but Duke still allowed Texas to stay in it across the first 20 minutes simply by not finishing defensive possessions by securing the rebound. Duke is one of the biggest teams in the country, and should be expecting to win the rebound battle every night.