Preview: #4 Duke Blue Devils (8-0, 0-0 ACC) vs #15 Florida Gators (5-2, 0-0 SEC)

ACC–SEC Challenge

#4 Duke Blue Devils (7-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. #15 Florida Gators (5-2, 0-0 SEC)

Tuesday, December 2 • 7:30 p.m. ET

Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) • Durham, NC

TV: ESPN

Radio: Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD

No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Florida clash at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the ACC/SEC Challenge, tipping off at 7:30 p.m., on ESPN. Duke leads the series with Flordia, 14-4, including two straight victories and a 4-0 advantage in matchups at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke has a 1-1 record in the ACC/SEC Challenge with an 84-78 win over No. 2 Auburn at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2024, and an 80-75 road loss at Arkansas in 2023.

TV ESPN
Play-by-Play Dan Shulman
Analyst Jay Bilas
Reporter Kris Budden
Producer Joe Taylor
Director Mike Roig

Radio Blue Devil Sports Net.
Play-by-Play David Shumate
Analyst John Roth
Engineer John Rose
In Durham 96.5 FM & 620 AM
SiriusXM 81 & SiriusXM app

After Florida’s magical and dominant run this past season resulting in a NCAA Tournament Championship, Todd Golden was able to retain some important pieces and add some crucial ones. Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon remain from last year’s team to lead the way for this year’s squad, both are averaging over 15 points per game. New arrivals include transfers Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee, from Arkansas and Princeton, respectively.

Florida enters Tuesday with a 5-3 record with losses to TCU and Arizona, but with wins against Florida State, Miami and Providence. The Gators boast 5 double-figure scorers so far on the season, led by junior forward Thomas Haugh at 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, the Pennsylvania forward also averages 3 assists per game. Just a basketball behind Haugh is another junior forward, Alex Condon, Condon averages 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to go with 3.5 assists. Sophomore guard Boogie Land is averaging 12 points and 2.4 assists per game this season so far and just a point behind him is the junior center Reuben Chinyelu who averages a double-double with 11.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per contest. Rounding out the double-figure scorers is Urban Klavzar, out of Slovenia, the sophomore guard is averaging 10.6 points per game and is the leading 3-point shooter for the Gators at 38% per game.

Last Time Out:

Florida defeated the Providence Friars 90-78 without starter Alex Condon. Transfer guard Xavian Lee shined against the Friars, scoring a team high 20 points and shooting 4-9 from beyond the arc with 4 assists and 7 rebounds. Florida turned 13 offensive rebounds into 20 second chance points.

The Blue Devils are coming off of a 35-4 season that saw them within a game of a title shot. Duke went 19-1 in conference, winning both the regular season and the ACC Tournament.

The Blue Devils welcome in a number 1 recruiting class after their Final Four run. Jon Scheyer after losing his entire starting lineup to the NBA but retaining core pieces with experience. Leading Duke are experienced returners senior big Maliq Brown and junior guard Caleb Foster, both instrumental pieces in Duke’s run this past season. Duke also returned 3 members from last season freshman class in hot shooting Isaiah Evans, who shot a team high 41.6%. Duke also brings back Darren Harris who has reshaped his body in hopes for a larger role and Patrick Ngongba who similarly has reshaped his frame, coming into this season healthy.

Duke’s freshman class includes the Boozer brothers, Cayden and Cameron, do-it-all forward Nik Khamenia and Italian import Dame Sarr. Duke also added reserves Jack Scott and Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, from Princeton and Rice, respectively. Duke also added Sebastian Wilkins, who has elected to red shirt this season.

The Blue Devils are 8-0 this season with wins over Kansas, Arkansas and Texas. They are led in scoring by freshman forward Cameron Boozer, who is averaging 22.9 points per game, 9.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Boozer is the team lead in each category. His front court mate Patrick Ngongba is also averaging in double figures at 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds to go with his 2.3 assists per game. Sophomore guard Isaiah Evans rounds out Duke double figure scorers at 12.5 points her game.

Last Time Out:

Last time out, the Blue Devils battled Arkansas, coming from behind several times and pulling away in the end to win 80-71. Cam Boozer exploded for 35 points and 9 boards. Caleb Foster added 15 points and 8 assists, and sophomore Patrick Ngongba added 11 points and 2 assists.

The Blue Devils have a clear path to victory if they do a much better job of cutting off Florida’s offensive boarding. Florida comes in second in the nation, averaging 17 offensive rebounds per game. That number more than mitigates their lack of a good percentage from outside the arc. Duke has to gang rebound, meaning not solely rely on the bigs, Jon Scheyer has to get his guards to buy into rebounding – especially on the defensive end of the floor. Executing there chokes some of the life from Florida in terms of their effectiveness. Also, looking at the scouting report it’s easy to assume Florida isn’t a good shooting team, but perception is only reality until it isn’t. Just because Florida hasn’t shot well of late does not mean they don’t have capable shooters, they do. Cameron, as we’ve seen, is a place where shooters love to shoot. Duke has to be solid on the perimeter, do not let Florida get into a rhythm from the outside.

According to KenPom, the Florida Gators rank 10th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom and are top-10 in both opponent three-point percentage. Florida is holding their opponents to just 38.1 percent from the field and only 26.1 percent from beyond the arc. Offensively, Duke has to limit their turnovers, it’s been a factor at times this season and was certainly a factor against Arkansas. Duke was sloppy, not other way to say it. That sort of sloppiness against the reigning champs is a recipe for Florida to get their first ranked victory. Duke’s guards have to take care of the ball. Florida has a stout defense that Duke will have to figure out, the key for Duke is efficiency, a clean floor game and finishing through contact.