Duke’s 39-point exhibition win sent a warning, but the box score told an even scarier story

Duke’s 39-point exhibition win sent a warning, but the box score told an even scarier story originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Duke entered the 2026-27 college basketball season with enormous expectations, but Tuesday night’s exhibition against Tennessee provided an early glimpse of something that might be even more concerning for the rest of the country. The Blue Devils did not need one superstar to carry their offense. They simply overwhelmed a nationally ranked opponent with contributions from almost everywhere.

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The second-ranked Blue Devils defeated No. 8 Tennessee 103-64 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, producing a 39-point margin against a program that has consistently competed near the top of the Southeastern Conference.

The final score was eye-catching, but several numbers buried inside the box score offered an even more revealing explanation of what happened.

Duke had six players score in double figures, dominated the rebounding battle and outscored Tennessee by 30 points in the paint. The Blue Devils looked like a team with multiple ways to beat an opponent, rather than a roster dependent on one individual.

Tennessee barely had time to settle in

The Volunteers were in trouble almost immediately. Duke raced to a 17-2 advantage, holding Tennessee without a field goal for nearly six minutes. The early surge included a 15-point run that featured contributions from four different Blue Devils.

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The lead eventually grew to 29-6 before the midway point of the first half, and Duke entered halftime comfortably ahead 54-30.

Tennessee managed only 20 made field goals on 59 attempts for the game, shooting 33.9 percent from the field. The Volunteers also connected on just four of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc.

Those struggles were not entirely the result of poor shooting. Duke’s size, defensive activity and ability to control the paint consistently made offensive possessions difficult.

The…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dukes-39-point-exhibition-win-115512482.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-23 11:55:00

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