Last night was a movie. Absolute cinema.
The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils just blew out the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals by 31 points, and in the dominant victory, Duke's defense was as elite as ever.
Not only did the Blue Devils hold the Cardinals to just 52 points, but they also completely shut down Louisville's star guard, Mikel Brown Jr.
Just a few weeks ago, the Blue Devils did the exact same thing against the Michigan State Spartans' star point guard, proving that Duke's backcourt defense is as elite as possible.
Duke shuts down Mikel Brown Jr., just like Jeremy Fears Jr.
Against Louisville, Duke held Brown to just seven points, shooting just 14 percent from beyond the arc and a minimal 8 percent from the field. On the season, Brown has averaged 16.1 points and 37.3 percent field goal shooting.
When Duke defeated the Spartans, the Blue Devils held guard Jeremy Fears Jr. to an even worse game, giving up just six points and allowing him to shoot zero percent from the field and beyond the arc.
One of the biggest game changers for Duke in these dominant performances is how authoritative the Blue Devils were off the glass.
Against Louisville, Duke secured a resounding 47 rebounds, including 32 rebounds on the defensive end of the court, completely shutting down second-chance opportunities for the Cardinals. Against MSU, they brought down 34 defensive rebounds, allowing the Spartans to grab just 13 rebounds on the offensive end of the court.
Duke versus two of the best, if not the best, point guards in the country:
— Rick Heidrick (@rheidrick24) January 27, 2026
Jeremy Fears Jr
6 points
0-10 FG
0-2 3pt
Mikel Brown Jr
7 points
1-13 FG
1-7 3pt
Total: 13 points on 1-23 shooting (.04%)
The Duke defense is just DIFFERENT! 🔒
Meanwhile, Duke's guards were on fire against the Cardinals. Isaiah Evans earned 15 points, alongside four rebounds. Caleb Foster scored seven points, dished out two assists, and brought down four rebounds as well.
Of course, star freshman Cameron Boozer had a highlight reel-worthy performance, with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
Up next, the Blue Devils are set to visit the unranked Virginia Tech Cavaliers on Saturday, Jan. 31, and the ACC matchup is scheduled to tip off at noon ET on ESPN.