Led by a big night from junior big man Patrick Ngongba, the Blue Devils easily dispatched of Coastal Carolina 113-52 on Thursday night in Cameron Indoor.
After an up-and-down performance in the season-opener against Army, it was mostly up for the Blue Devils vs. the Chanticleers. No, they weren't perfect, but it was a step in the right direction in the final tune-up game before next Tuesday's showdown against Michigan State in Chicago.
Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski didn't play against Coastal after making his debut on Monday night against Army. The broadcast noted that there was no injury reaggravation; it was simply a load management decision by Scheyer as they slowly ramp him up toward the big role that he's expected to play for this team.
Here are the biggest observations from Duke's 61-point win.
1. A career night for Patrick Ngongba II
Big Pat was unstoppable tonight. Coastal Carolina had no answers for the junior big man, who has looked healthy and dominant to start the season.
Ngongba scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-13 from the field with 9 rebounds across 25 minutes of action. The three-point shot that we saw beginning to blossom during the exhibition schedule looks real. He knocked down back-to-back early in the second half to the delight of the Cameron Crazies:
BACK TO BACK THREES FOR PAT NGONGBA 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/w8SmsJ31Vb
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) November 6, 2026
If Ngongba continues playing like this, he's going to be a legitimate threat in the ACC Player of the Year race.
2. Jon Scheyer sent a message to Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje in the first half
You talk about playing to a standard, and Scheyer isn't going to let that slip regardless of the opponent and regardless of the scoreboard.
He sent that message loud and clear in the first half to 17-year-old freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. The talented youngster had a frustrating sequence where he missed dunks on consecutive possessions. On the second miss, he hung on the rim for an extra second out of frustration before jogging back on defense.
That led to an easy transition bucket at the rim for Coastal, and Scheyer immediately called timeout to let JBB have it despite the 30+ point lead.
It was tough coaching, but it's exactly what you want from Scheyer. And it's exactly why Boumtje Boumtje came to Duke to begin with.
3. Duke had a concerted effort to get John Blackwell some easy looks at the rim in the 2H
After a rough 1-of-6 debut from the floor for just three points against Army on Monday, Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell got off to another slow start against Coastal Carolina. He started just 1-of-4 from the floor and went into the locker room at halftime staring at a second straight rough night.
But Duke started the second half with action that got Blackwell downhill for an easy layup. They repeated similar actions two more times for Blackwell to start the second half 3-of-3 from the floor and get himself into a rhythm. He later knocked down a three.
Blackwell finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 from the field, a solid bounce-back performance for the senior guard.
4. Cayden Boozer had his first career double-double
Sophomore point guard Cayden Boozer was in total command of the offense on Thursday night. In 22 minutes, he produced his first career double-double, scoring 11 points and dishing out 12 assists with only one turnover.
It's going to be difficult for Boozer to be supplanted in the starting lineup, even when Caleb Foster is back up to full speed, and with the rapid development of freshman Deron Rippey Jr.
But Boozer's ability to playmake and run the offense is difficult to replicate by the others, and it's why he has begun the season as the starter.
5. Duke's defense was dominant and overwhelming.
Duke let their foot off the gas a bit down the stretch, but it was a dominant effort on the defensive end of the floor. The Blue Devils flustered and overwhelmed Coastal Carolina from the opening tip. It was 16-0 before the Chanticleers got points on the board.
At halftime, Duke had forced twice as many turnovers (12) as they had allowed baskets (6).
Duke held Coastal to 30% from the field and 18% from three and forced 17 turnovers. We knew this defense had the potential to be elite, and two games into the season, there hasn't been one playing at a higher level yet.
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