Cayden Boozer (2) of the Duke Blue Devils dribbles the ball against Ja’Kobi Gillespie of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena on October 26, 2025 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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There were 39 NBA scouts from 22 teams packed into Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday to see the Vols play Duke in an exhibition basketball game.
And to see Duke’s Cameron Boozer.
The freshman, a big man again playing very big, had 24 points and 23 rebounds to go with six assists as the Blue Devils surged in the second half for an 83-76 victory in their final exhibition warmup act.
The Blue Devils, ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, got 22 points from Isaiah Evans — 16 in the second half — and a solid 15-point, nine-rebound game from sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II.
“I thought Isaiah really hit some timely shots and then Cam was a force, an absolute force, throughout the whole game,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said on the Blue Devils’ radio network.
Boozer had everyone raving about his skill and power after the freshman’s 33-point, 12-rebound performance in a 25-point win over Central Florida in the Devils’ first exhibition. He backed it before a sellout crowd tinged with Tennessee orange, going 7-for-20 from the field and making nine of 11 free throws.
So much for the preseason exhibition part of the Duke basketball schedule. Next time out, it’s for real as the Blue Devils face Texas on Nov. 4 in the Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte.
Against UCF, the Blue Devils broke open a close game in the second half and bolted to a 96-71 victory. But that was at Cameron Indoor Stadium, before a boisterous home crowd.
The Vols, ranked No. 18, led nearly the entire first half Sunday, held a nine-point lead just before halftime and had a 43-37 cushion at the break. Their physical, aggressive defense — a staple under Tennessee coach Rick Barnes — forced the Devils into some rushed or bad shots and kept the Vols in front despite Boozer’s 13 points and 15 rebounds.
But the Devils, again, settled in during the second half. Evans opened the half with a 3, Ngongba had a dunk and Duke took its first lead on another Evans 3.
A jumper by the Vols’ Nate Ament, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, trimmed the Duke lead to 75-72 with 2:59 left. But Duke’s Nikolas Khamenia made a couple of free throws and Ngongba had a key defensive rebound and blocked an Ament shot late.
A dunk by senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who finished with 19 points and eight assists, again made it a three-point game with 37 seconds remaining. Duke’s Caleb Foster then knocked down two more foul shots.
Duke was 10-of-27 from 3-point range — Evans making four 3s — but hit 25 of 27 free throws and had just seven turnovers.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Scheyer said on the radio network. “We came here on a fact-finding mission, to learn, and I think there are some facts we’re going to come away with of how we can be better.”
What was learned about Duke in the exhibition win?
Devils can be better on defense
Despite showing the late-game toughness to lock down the victory, Duke’s defense needs more work and Scheyer and his staff will see that the work is done. Bringing back Maliq Brown, at some point, also will help.
The Blue Devils’ interior defense came off a little too soft against the Vols in the first half. Ngongba picked up two early fouls and took a seat. And when the 6-11 sophomore returned later in the first half, he was called for a reaching foul some 30 feet from the basket. It was back to the bench again.
On one Tennessee play, Ament glided around Cameron Boozer and down the baseline for a dunk. Boozer was caught flat-footed a few other times defending the ball but not kept off the defensive boards — Duke had a 48-39 rebounding edge in the game.
Khamenia, at 6-8 and 230 pounds, has the capability to guard post players but was hit with two personals in the opening half as he tried to help inside on defense.
It again hurt the Devils that Brown was not available as the senior continues to recover from a knee procedure that has limited him in Duke’s preseason practices. Brown could play in the season opener against Texas.
Game should benefit Devils and Vols
Barnes, beginning his 11th season at Tennessee, was asked during the ESPN broadcast about the value of playing such an exhibition game as opposed to, say, a closed-door exhibition.
Barnes said what all college basketball fans like to hear– both teams should benefit from the tough competition of such a game. Barnes also thanked Scheyer on the broadcast for agreeing to play the game on the road.
Scheyer, in turn, liked the fact his team would have their first flight together, first hotel stay, first game on another team’s homecourt before a sellout crowd of more than 21,000.
It can be an adrenaline rush hearing the home crowd — the Cameron Crazies — cheering you on and was for the Blue Devils in the UCF exhibition. It’s more of a strain on the road and was Sunday as the Vols applied game pressure in the final minutes.
“I think we showed great composure, great competitiveness,” Scheyer said.
Duke’s Sarr sees first action
While the Blue Devils’ Brown sat out the second exhibition, freshman Dame Sarr was available Sunday and was a nice lineup addition. The forward, who had been hampered by an oblique injury and missed the UCF game, had a dunk and a 3-pointer in the opening half as he got his first look in a game, albeit an exhibition.
The native Italian, rated a 5-star recruit, was playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish league and Scheyer has noted how competitive the basketball is in that overseas league. Sarr is a slender 6-8 but has elite quickness and some pro-basketball savvy.
Sarr did appear to tire a bit midway through the second half during his first experience at game speed.
Chip Alexander
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