Duke basketball takeaways 10 games into 2025-26 season

Duke basketball is 10-0 to start the 2025-26 season in its fourth year under head coach Jon Scheyer.

Coming off a stretch that saw the Blue Devils take down three ranked opponents in a row – Arkansas, Florida and Michigan State –  for the first time in program history, Scheyer’s squad now gets the week off from games as it is final exam week in Durham.

“Ten games in, we get a little bit of a pause,” Scheyer said following Duke‘s 66-60 win over Michigan State on Dec. 6. “We’ll learn, grow and see how we can continue to get better. Because we don’t want this to be the peak of our season. We’ve got a lot we want to play for still.” 

The next time Duke is set to return to the court is Dec. 16 vs. Lipscomb at home. The Blue Devils will then take on Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20 for their final game ahead of Christmas. They then open ACC play on Dec. 31 vs. Georgia Tech at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Here are 10 things we have learned about Duke basketball 10 games into the season:

Cameron Boozer as advertised

Boozer came to Duke as the third overall player in the 2025 class by both ESPN and 247Sports. Ten games into the season, the 6-foot-9 forward is leading Duke in points per game (23), rebounds (9.9), assists (3.8) and steals (1.7). He has recorded five double-doubles, his last coming in Duke’s win at Michigan State where he posted 18 points with 15 rebounds.

Elite defensive play

Duke’s defense ranks third in KenPom adjusted efficiency and ranks No. 1 on the site in effective field goal percentage (40). Whether in man-to-man or zone sets, which they utilized well vs. Michigan State when Cam Boozer got into foul trouble, the Blue Devils’ defense is elite when it comes to switching, making it hard for opposing offenses to penetrate the paint and get good looks. They’re holding teams to 59.6 points per game, good for fourth in the NCAA.

Duke’s rotation is deep

Perhaps one of the Blue Devils’ greatest strengths is their depth, utilizing a nine-man rotation that offers them various looks and line-ups. Looking at EvanMiya analytics, Duke’s top five-man line-up is that of Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, Nikolas Khamenia and Patrick Ngongba II, the starting five Duke has used for its last two games.

Veteran leadership showing up in crucial moments

From Isaiah Evans’ game winning 3-pointer over Florida to Caleb Foster making a key steal on Florida’s ensuing possession, those are just two examples of Duke’s returners providing stability and poise in high-pressure situations. Evans is second to Boozer with 12.2 points per game while Foster leads the team shooting 42.4% from 3.

Duke has shown poise late, strong second halves

Duke has trailed at halftime in only two of its 10 games: versus Texas (33-32) and at Michigan State (34-31). The Blue Devils then went on to outscore the Longhorns 43-27 in the second half and the Spartans 35-26. Against Kansas, the Jayhawks got within 3 with five minutes remaining in the second half. From there, Duke held the Jayhawks without a field goal for the remainder of the game and closed it on a 9-2 run.

From the charity stripe

The Blue Devils rank 199th in the NCAA with a 71% free throw percentage, struggling at times but making ones when they need to the most. With under two minutes remaining at Michigan State, five clutch free throws – two by Boozer and three by Evans – helped build a five-point lead that Duke held for the remainder of the game. Caleb Foster added a pair of late free throws, and Pat Ngongba II contributed one.

Strong interior presence

Duke attacks the basket effectively, shooting 63.1% on 2-pointers, good for No. 8 nationally KenPom. That’s largely due to its frontcourt: Maliq Brown is shooting 92.3% from 2, good for first in the nation per KenPom, while Patrick Ngongba II is shooting 77.6% inside and Cameron Boozer 64%.

Nikolas Khamenia cracking starting 5

Freshman Nikolas Khamenia has made the starting five in Duke’s last two contests against Florida and Michigan State after coming in off the bench. Khamenia replaced Dame Sarr in the Blue Devils starting 5. Against the Spartans, Khamenia logged a career-high 34 minutes while adding 10 points, three 3’s and a free throw.

Dame Sarr still adjusting offensively

Coaches made it clear Sarr’s biggest transition from playing in Europe to Duke has been on the offensive side of the ball. While Sarr posted a team-high 19 points in the win at Army and added 10 after that vs. Indiana State, he has been inconsistent at times against Duke’s marquee opponents, going a combined 3-of-11 across Duke’s last three-game stretch. He is, however, one of the team’s most elite defenders, second to Boozer with 1.5 steals per game.

Duke has highly efficient frontcourt

Cameron Boozer and Pat Ngongba II rank in the top-10 of EvanMiya rankings, with Boozer at No. 1. Ngongba II is Duke’s top rim protector, leading the Blue Devils with 1.7 blocks per game, and is third on the team with 11.9 points per game.

Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.