Who, What Stood Out in Duke's Exhibition Demolition of Tennessee

The Duke Blue Devils took down No. 8 Tennessee in a lopsided 103-64 exhibition win on Tuesday night.

It's still preseason play, but it's hard not to think this year's Blue Devils squad could be the most dominant team in the country. They just hosted an AP Top 10 preseason team, without Caleb Foster or Drew Scharnowski, and won by nearly 40 points. Granted, Tennessee was dealing with injuries of its own, but Duke was far and away the better team from the jump.

Duke has now hit the 100-point mark in each of its two preseason contests, first defeating Belmont in a scrimmage, 102-62, on Oct. 8. After two games, it's still hard to find a hole in this roster, and Duke looks like it will be an analytical monster. Let's break down who and what stood out in the win over the Vols.

Who Stood Out

Deron Rippey Jr.

Duke could absolutely have the best backcourt in college basketball this season. All four of its true guards would start right away on most high-major teams. With Foster out, 5-star rookie Deron Rippey Jr. has played extended minutes, and he was extremely impressive against Tennessee.

Rippey led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range, along with three assists and three steals. He was an instant defensive burst off the bench and showcased his scoring prowess early.

Deron Rippey is highlighting how elite Duke's backcourt is this season.
Four guards who would start immediately on the vast majority of high-major teams.

- Hugh Straine (@HughStraine) October 21, 2026

The freshman is an elite athlete with a capable outside shot, and his energy on the defensive end will make him an extremely valuable piece of this rotation. With Rippey, Foster, Boozer, and Blackwell, Duke has as deep and talented a backcourt as any team in the sport.

Dame Sarr

Dame Sarr's ceiling as a sophomore keeps rising with each contest. Coming off a 19-point performance against Belmont, Sarr notched 15 points, two rebounds, and an assist on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and 1-of-3 shooting from the perimeter.

We spent a lot of time talking about Sarr's potential as an elite 3-and-D NBA prospect, but he's proving his game is much more expanded than that. The 6'8" wing didn't just attack driving lanes; he sought contact at the rim and forced defenders to challenge him. Additionally, his improvements as a passer and cutter are showing early.

On the offensive side of the ball, Sarr might not be the best at any one aspect, but he might be the most versatile player on this team.

John Blackwell

John Blackwell got busy in the second half and showed why he's an underrated National Player of the Year candidate. As a proven, efficient, high-volume scorer who can score in a bunch of different ways, he can be one of the best scorers in the country this season.

Blackwell tallied 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, with 10 of those points coming in the second half. The Wisconsin transfer moves well without the basketball, can create on his own, and can get a shot up from basically anywhere. On a team littered with scoring options, Blackwell is the No. 1 option.

What Stood Out

Plethora of Scoring Options

Likely the biggest difference between this year's Duke team and the past two years is that it won't be led by the most dominant force in the sport. Jon Scheyer has had the National Player of the Year on his roster (Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg) in each of the last two years. Although I think Blackwell will be this team's volume scoring option, it has scorers everywhere.

Against the Volunteers, 11 different players scored, and six finished in double figures. The Blue Devils assisted on 16 of 36 made shots, and seven guys knocked down a three-ball. Three-point shooting was one of Duke's glaring weaknesses last season; it shot 12-of-33 (36.4%) against the Vols.

Duke's Defensive Ceiling Is Insane

Forget Duke having the best defensive ceiling in college basketball in 2026-27; it could be one of the most dominant analytical defensive units college hoops has seen in the last several years. Similar to Belmont, Tennessee had no luck generating any sort of offensive rhythm in the half-court once Duke got set.

The Blue Devils held Tennessee to 33.9% shooting from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2%) shooting from three-point range. Duke also forced 13 Volunteer turnovers that turned into 15 points and outrebounded Tennessee 44-29.

Duke has length and switchability at every position, and whatever lineup it throws at you, it never has to sacrifice those two qualities. The Blue Devils have a chance to be a special defensive team.

Keep in mind, this is a Tennessee team that is built to be one of the best scoring clubs in college basketball. Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, who was the ACC's third-leading scorer last season at 21.4 points per game, notched just 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Who, What Stood Out in Duke's Exhibition Demolition of Tennessee.