Duke turned what many expected to be a competitive exhibition matchup against Tennessee into an immediate laugher. The game was never close. Duke opened the game on a 29-6 run in the first nine minutes and never looked back.
It was a 54-30 game at halftime, and the Blue Devils continued to pile on in the second half en route to a 101-64 win at Cameron Indoor.
It's important to remember that it's just an exhibition game. It's also important to remember that this Tennessee team is ranked 8th in the preseason AP Poll, and Duke dismantled them even without two key rotational players. Neither Caleb Foster nor Drew Scharnowski was available for Tuesday night's exhibition.
It didn't matter. Duke looked every bit like one of the top teams in the country. Here's what we observed:
1. Duke's defense is already playing at a championship level
One thing you know about a Jon Scheyer-coached team: playing defense is going to be a non-negotiable. The Blue Devils finished inside the KenPom Top 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency in each of the last two seasons, and it looks like they're going to have a team capable of doing that again.
With Patrick Ngongba and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje forming a twin-tower lineup inside, the paint will be closed most nights. Dame Sarr is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, and Duke has length all over.
Combine the raw talent with the effort we saw against the Vols, and this team is going to be a nightmare to deal with on that end of the floor. Duke held Tennessee to under 40% from the floor and forced double-digit turnovers.
2. Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje's ability to handle Tennessee's physicality is a great sign
The biggest question mark about the 17-year-old freshman sensation was whether he could hold up against the more physical teams on Duke's schedule. It wasn't a surprise to see him dominate against Belmont, but Tennessee was going to be a whole new weight class.
Nothing changed.
Boumtje Boumtje still looked like a man amongst boys. In 21 minutes, he scored 11 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots.
Rick Barnes always has a physical team willing to fight, scrape, and claw. If Boumtje Boumtje can handle that, then he shouldn't have many issues this year.
3. Deron Rippey is going to force his way onto the floor
How Scheyer disseminates minutes in the backcourt once Foster returns from injury is anybody's guess. He's got a lot of really good options. It might be tempting to assume that the freshman Deron Rippey would be the one most affected, but I wouldn't count on it.
Rippey looks like a star. Not a future star. A star right now. He led Duke in scoring against Tennessee, putting up 21 points on 9-of-12 from the floor. He knocked down 3-of-6 attempts from three-point range, too. If he can shoot like that, best of luck dealing with him. Because he can also do this:
DERON RIPPEY JR. CAN FLY pic.twitter.com/uqGq8zPvOP
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) October 21, 2026
4. John Blackwell is such an effortless scorer
The Wisconsin transfer can get a bucket any time he wants to. That's an incredible luxury for Duke to have, and something that has been missing in the backcourt in recent seasons.
He's not flashy. He just scores. You don't even really notice him sometimes, and you think he's been quiet; then you look up, and he's in double figures. He scored 18 points with ruthless efficiency in his 21 minutes on Tuesday night. He was 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three.
That matters now, but it's going to matter even more when he get into March.
5. Patience will be important for 5-star F Cameron Williams
The highest-ranked recruit in Duke's class may take a bit more time before he's ready to contribute in the way Boumtje Boumtje and Rippey already are. His illness has him a bit behind the eight-ball, and he's a good bit more raw than those two.
That's okay. It's important to remember that everyone develops at their own pace. He's clearly further down the rotation than anyone would have expected at this point, and his path to playing time will only get more difficult once Scharnowski is back in the mix. But the flashes of who he can become are there.
Williams might spend more time on the bench than anyone expected in the summer, but as long as he keeps his head down and continues to work, an opportunity will eventually be waiting for him.
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