Duke Edges Tennessee 83-76 in Final Exhibition Matchup

I’m not a huge proponent of change in college basketball, not because I’m an old head (which I am) but because the sport has always been beautiful the way it is. What I do like are the trends of college coaches putting their teams through the paces earlier in the season. I’ve always been ok with coaches ramping up competition slowly, that’s certainly a valid way to get your team ready for March, but to be able to schedule really tough games in with no real consequence as early as you can be an invaluable thing. I’m glad Jon Scheyer as adopted this way of scheduling there’s not much you can do in the way of practice to simulate live game action where you can run your plays, routines in a game situation, with a crowd and with a coach trying their best to try to stop you.

In their first exhibition, the Blue Devils, a decidedly young team and not at full strength, struggled early against a team of veterans in UCF. Half-time adjustments were made and Duke cruised to victory by 25 points. The most important part wasn’t the win but the game tape they acquired to coach with, the bad habits uncovered and seeing who on the bench you can depend on. Next up for the Blue Devils was Tennessee, an even tougher challenge – and on the road. Tennessee, ranked in the top 15 this season, is a team under Rick Barnes known for physicality and toughness, which are the exact traits that Jon Scheyer knows his team will have to overcome more than any other to be successful this season.

Tennessee scored the game’s first points, but Duke quickly followed up with a Patrick Ngongba II tip-in off an offensive rebound. After the Volunteers took an early seven-point lead, 11-4, Isaiah Evans connected on Duke’s first three-pointer of the contest to pull Duke back within four. As expected, a tough, older Tennessee team exerted their will upon the Blue Devils early, but the Blue Devils on the strength of Cam Boozer kept it close in the first stanza. Tennessee would push their lead several times to 8 points before Cam Boozer hit a mid-range jumper in the waning moments of the first half to pull the Blue Devils within 6 points at the break.

An Isaiah Evans slam began the second half for Duke, a portent of a tougher Duke effort in the second half. A 9-0 run right out of the gates gave the Blue Devils a lead that they would never surrender. The Volunteers responded with eight of the next 10 points, cutting Duke’s edge to two, 62-60, entering the under-12 timeout, but the Blue Devils would go 20-20 in the second half from the free throw line to ice the game winning 83-76.

Cam Boozer led the Blue Devils with a grown-up game of 24 points, 23 rebounds and 6 assists. Isaiah Evans added 22 point on 4-9 shooting from beyond the arc and 5 rebounds, and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba rebounded from a sub-par game at home against UCF to add 15 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks.

Obviously, Duke and Tennessee remain 0-0 for the season, but both squads will be much better after this game. Master strokes by both coaches to schedule a matchup like this. Especially for the Blue Devils, not because they won but because of the lessons you can only learn in game action – especially having to manage end of game situations against a veteran squad, the one area Duke struggled in last season.