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Ok, maybe this year’s Duke basketball team actually is human.
The Blue Devils looked like a force to be reckoned with through their first two preseason games, defeating Belmont 102-62 and taking down No. 8 Tennessee 103-64. Duke settled down a bit on Sunday against No. 17 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.
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Duke headed home with a 90-84 victory, but Sunday’s exhibition finale was certainly the toughest test it faced throughout the entire preseason, and it’s not even close. The Blue Devils adjusted well offensively in the second half and continued to defend at a high level, but Kansas gave Duke some issues throughout the contest.
Nonetheless, Jon Scheyer and Co. squeezed out a victory. Here are three big winners from the win at Allen Fieldhouse.
Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) looks for an open pass against Kansas Jayhawks guard Tyran Stokes (4) during the exhibition game inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Oct. 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Patrick Ngongba
Junior center Patrick Ngongba is an interesting case this season. I’m not sure how much his box score numbers will jump in 2026-27, but I’d be shocked if he wasn’t one of the top two or three most impactful players on this team. The 6’11” big man impacts winning in different ways and led the charge for the Blue Devils against Kansas.
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Ngongba went for a game-high 28 points with 10 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 shooting from three-point range, and 9-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line. The Paul VI Catholic product transformed his body this offseason, and it’s showing in the way he uses his body and footwork to create separation around the rim.
The Jayhawks challenged Duke with physicality, so many of Ngongba’s points didn’t come easily. However, Duke attacked any mismatch he could find off switches, and he created space through physicality well. Additionally, his passing was extremely impressive, an area he…
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Publish date : 2026-10-26 11:14:00
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