Duke Takes Out Kansas On The Road, 90-84

After blowing out Belmont and Tennessee in Cameron, we knew Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse would be a very different matter, and it was. Kansas was in that game the entire way. But Duke left with a 90-84 victory.

A lot of that was down to a great game from junior big man Patrick Ngongba, who finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.

It was a great time to have a great game because freshmen JoJo Boumtje Boumtje and Deron Rippey, who left deep impressions against Belmont and Tennessee, did not play up to that standard.

However, Duke had enough depth to overcome poor games from both.

Dame Sarr was aggressive and got 11 free throws, hitting 8 of those. Jon Blackwell also played well, showing lots of senior savvy. He finished with 23 points, hitting 6-12/4-7 from the floor.

Caleb Foster is back and while he didn’t score a lot, he provided a lot of stability. So did Cayden Boozer, who showed again that he is a smart and reliable point guard.

Sebastian Wilkins played well off the bench, hitting 3-3 and providing a tough, physical presence. Bryson Howard had 3 points, while Cameron Williams played but did not score.

Kansas also played well and were up 68-64 before a 9-0 run by the Blue Devils. We were really impressed with freshman Tyran Stokes. He’s built like Anthony Mason, and he can force the action, but he also has a subtlety to his game that, given his power, is a surprise.

Former Blue Devil Christian Reeves played hard and had 5 rebounds, but realistically, he’s probably near his potential at this point.

After the game, Kansas coach Bill Self pointed to Ngongba as the difference, saying that “We knew that Pat was good, but that was the big advantage they had over us today was the pivot. He was better than whatever we could put on him.”

For his part, Duke’s Jon Scheyer was pleased: “This was everything we could have asked for and more. For us to go on the road, play a really good team, a hungry team. I think we learned a lot. For me, I thought we showed a lot of toughness.”

That’s for sure. Now imagine what Duke could have done if the younger players were better Sunday. Boumtje Boumtje was tentative and shot just 2-10, with both made shots being three-pointers (he was 2-5 from deep).

Rippey took just two shots, and Williams took none

With a fully healthy Foster, three very impressive freshmen, and Drew Scharnowski, who is getting closer to getting on the court himself, Duke is going to be a load.

And while it’s just an exhibition, winning at Phog Allen Fieldhouse is not an easy thing to do.

We’ll have more later.

• Late run propels No. 2 Duke men’s basketball past No. 17 Kansas for 90-84 win in final exhibition game
• 5 first-half observations from No. 2 Duke men’s basketball’s exhibition contest at No. 17 Kansas
• March Madness rematch? Why KU Jayhawks’ Bill Self would welcome encore vs. Duke
• Perry earns positive reviews after extended action against Duke
• What Bill Self said on the health of Kohl Rosario, Trey Kaufman-Renn
• SWEET 16 ENERGY: Duke vs. Kansas highlights OUTSTANDING college basketball exhibition weekend slate!
• KU’s small-ball lineup gets trial by fire in Duke exhibition
• Tyran Stokes Report: How Kansas Freshman Fared in 27-Point Showing vs. Duke
• Ngongba, Blackwell lead No. 2 Blue Devils to exhibition win over Kansas
• Everything Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said following win vs. Kansas

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