Dicky V's presence made Duke season-opening win even more special

The Duke Blue Devils are officially 1-0 after defeating the Texas Longhorns in their season opener, and while a first-game win is always good, it was even more special with one college basketball icon on the sidelines.

Dick Vitale, who has battled cancer on and off again over the last few years, called the game, returning to his seat as one of the most beloved college basketball commentators in the world.

The game itself was the first-ever Dick Vitale Invitational game, and his presence made the matchup that much more special.

Dick Vitale 'blow away' away by support at Duke-Texas

After a tribute to Vitale played on the Jumbotron, as well as on the ESPN broadcast, Vitale couldn't hide his emotions as he teared up and expressed his gratitude for those by his side, those in attendance, and the two teams playing in the game.

While Duke trailed by a point at halftime, the Blue Devils stormed to the front of the Longhorns and claimed a 75-60 victory.

After the game, Vitale even interviewed Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, who earned 15 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and one block (but still wanted more out of himself for the season-opener).

"Obviously, a rough first half, but our team did a great job picking it up at halftime," Boozer said. "We just had to change our energy, our defensive intensity. We came out, we were the tougher team in the second half, and that's why we got the win."

Veteran Blue Devil Isaiah Evans led Duke in scoring with 23 points, and the bench combined for 12 points, pushing the team to the solid victory over the Horns.

Afterward, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer repeated Boozer's message that the Blue Devils have to come out stronger at the start of games, instead of bouncing back to win in the second half.

Up next, the No. 6 Blue Devils host the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on The CW Network.