Most Duke basketball fans were expecting to see the Blue Devils come out hot after falling for the first time of the 2025-26 season against Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20. However, that wasn't the case, and it was nearly time for fans to hit the panic button after the team's ACC opener.
Duke barely earned its 19th straight victory in a conference opener, taking down Georgia Tech 85-79 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But the victory didn't come without tons of suspense, as the Yellow Jackets controlled for a great deal of the first half.
The Blue Devils entered the halftime locker room down 43-39, much to the dismay of the Blue Devil faithful in the building. Through the first few minutes of the second half, Duke was allowing Georgia Tech to shoot, ridiculously, over 70% from the field. For how elite of a defensive unit that the Blue Devils have been all season, allowing a Georgia Tech squad that entered the game ranked 134th at KenPom to shoot over 70% from the field is unacceptable.
Duke basketball survives scare from Georgia Tech in ACC opener
Heading into the conference opener, Duke was allowing opponents to shoot just 34% on average from the field, one of the best rates in the country. However, the Yellow Jackets got whatever they wanted inside through the early part of the game, and it took some major adjustments from Jon Scheyer for his team to take control.
Duke switched to a zone look around the 16-minute mark of the second half, and that was when it was able to switch the momentum back in its favor. The Blue Devils outscored the Yellow Jackets 46-36 across the final 20 minutes.
The Boozer twins ran the show for Duke, combining for 39 points and 17 rebounds. Cayden Boozer made the first start of his young career and proved worthy of the start with his aggressiveness running the offense in transition and defensive tenacity.
Despite an ugly game, it's an encouraging sign for fans to see the Blue Devils really battle when nothing was going their way, especially against such an inferior opponent. Duke will open up road ACC play next at Florida State on Jan. 3.