How Duke basketball’s defense helped decide Blue Devils’ opener against Texas
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke used staunch defense to force 16 Texas turnovers and limit shooting.
- Second-half pressure reduced dribble penetration and cut Texas scoring to 60.
- Coach Scheyer stressed defense mindset while adjusting rotations and personnel.
From his first day at Duke, his first experience with Mike Krzyzewski as his college coach, Jon Scheyer was ingrained with a simple premise: Good defense can be the difference.
There will be games when the shots aren’t falling. The defense will be there. Games where you make too many mistakes with the ball. The defense will be there. Home or away, the defense will be there. That was the Coach K way, the foundation.
That’s what Scheyer believed was the difference Tuesday as the No. 6 Blue Devils opened the 2025-26 season — Scheyer’s fourth as head coach — with a 75-60 victory over Texas in the Dick Vitale Invitational at the Spectrum Center.
One look at the stat sheet was telling: Texas had 16 turnovers, six assists and 32 percent shooting from the field. One could almost hear Vitale shouting, “That’s defense with a capital D, ba-by!”
‘Our defense can keep us in games’
On a night when freshman forward Cameron Boozer needed a half to find his game, when the offense was disjointed in the first half because of Texas’ aggressiveness, the Blue Devils played two halves of solid defense. Texas shot 33 percent in the first half and 31 in the second. It scored 60 points for the game.
“Defense starts with a mindset and these guys have it. They embrace it,” Scheyer said of his players. “Regardless of what’s happening on the offensive end, our defense can keep us in games.”
Duke shot 37.9 percent from the field and had seven turnovers in the opening half Tuesday and only Isaiah Evans (15 points), who had his 3-point touch, could score with any consistency. The Devils also allowed the Longhorns, who have some quick-twitch players, to grab 12 offensive rebounds in the first half to keep possessions alive.
But the Blue Devils’ defense, especially on the ball, was more effective in the second half, Scheyer said.
“The best stretches we had, we didn’t give up much dribble penetration because we were being tough on the ball,” Scheyer said. “I thought our size and activity on the ball was really important.
“And then, ultimately, just being tough. I thought we showed great toughness. Again, guarding the ball, post defense, finding a way to rebound. They’ve got some big guys who really make it tough with second-chance points.”
Texas struggles with ball control
The Longhorns had six offensive boards in the second half and had three second-chance points after their 11 second-chance points in the first half allowed them to take a 33-32 lead at the break.
Of Boozer’s 13 rebounds, 12 were on the defensive end, where he used his 6-9, 250-pound frame to fill the lane and take over in the paint. With a more efficient offense that spread out the Longhorns, the Blue Devils finally put away a Texas team that also has reshaped its roster under Miller.
Texas had post players Matas Vokietaitis and Lassina Traore slowed by injuries in preseason, and the two combined for nine turnovers in the opener.
“This was a tough season opener for us,” Miller said. “I felt good about our team’s competitive spirit. We played really hard. What we didn’t do, and I was surprised … we played at their pace. Six assists, 60 points, just the pace we played at is not what we will become.
“You have to score. When you’re turning the ball over, and you can’t score, that puts more pressure on your defense. Our offense wasn’t nearly as fluid as I think it will be. But again, it’s reflected in six assists and 16 turnovers. Our offense was not good.”
Duke’s fluid starting lineup
The Blue Devils had a starting lineup with Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Cameron Boozer, Patrick Ngongba II and Dame Sarr -- Boozer and Sarr two freshmen playing their first college game. Sarr, slender at 6-8 and a listed 190 pounds, is an active, willing defender who gives the Devils added quickness on the floor and is a defensive “disruptor,” his coach said.
The Blue Devils also benefitted from having senior Maliq Brown, sidelined during the preseason with a knee issue, available and getting some minutes.
In the second half, Boozer said, “We brought a lot of energy and got stops and went on runs. All our guys brought a lot of energy, getting deflections, rebounds.”
Scheyer said not to read too much into the starting lineup, sounding like another Triangle coach in another sport. The Blue Devils still are working on the lineup and rotations, he said, and that will continue — Duke hosts Western Carolina on Saturday in their home opener at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“Where we’re going is a long way from where we are,” Scheyer said.
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 10:17 AM.
