The Duke basketball program picked up its second exhibition win in as many contests, taking down Tennessee 83-76 in Knoxville. Through the exhibition matchups, it's becoming clear that the trio of Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba might be the most dominant three-man core in the country. Head coach Jon Scheyer has built an incredibly deep and talented roster for the 2025-26 campaign, but this trio might lead the program to the promised land in March. Between shooting, passing, and defensive capabilities, this three-man unit is going to be scary for the rest of the country throughout the season. With the absolute gauntlet of a non-conference schedule that Duke will go through this year, fans everywhere will get a chance to see just how dominant this group can be.
Duke basketball's three-headed monster of Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba might be the best trio in the nation
Boozer, Evans, and Ngongba were easily the three most impactful players for the Blue Devils in the comeback victory over the Volunteers. Boozer led Duke in points, rebounds, and assists en route to putting together a video game stat line of 24 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal on 7-of-20 (35%) shooting from the field, 1-of-3 (33.3%) shooting from three-point range, and 9-of-11 (81.8%) shooting from the free throw line.
However, Evans and Ngongba were just as stellar. The sophomore sharpshooter tallied 22 points and five rebounds on 5-of-14 (35.7%) shooting from the field, 4-of-9 (44.4%) shooting from three, and 8-of-8 (100%) from the foul line. As for Ngongba, the 6'11" big man went for 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three blocks on 5-of-6 (83.3%) shooting from the floor, 1-of-1 (100%) shooting from the perimeter, and 4-of-4 (100%) from the stripe.
Altogether, the trio accounted for 73% of Duke's total points and 77% of the team's total rebounds.
Obviously, exhibition matches should always be taken with a grain of salt. However, with Evans' elite scoring prowess, Ngongba's incredible rim protection and vision with the ball in his hands, and the fact that Boozer might be the best all-around player in the country already, there's a very real chance this is the best trio college basketball has to offer this season. Even with how deep the Blue Devils are, there's no debate that these three will be mainstays on the floor for the majority of every game.