Duke basketball is back, and it's off to a solid start.
The Blue Devils took down Army 84-50 on Monday night to open the 2026-27 regular season. After looking downright unbeatable at times in its three preseason games, Duke showed some early growing pains at home. However, that makes the rest of the campaign that much more exciting, knowing there's plenty of room for this team to grow.
Duke looked fantastic in certain areas, and others struggled. Overall, some things on the offensive end need to improve, but the Blue Devils still walked away with a 34-point victory. Let's break down what helped and hurt the team on Monday night.
Nov 2, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Dame Sarr (7) jokes with Patrick Ngongba II (21) during the second half against the Army Black Knights at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Duke looked like the best defensive team in college basketball through the preseason, and it stayed that way against Army in a game that mattered. The Blue Devils switched almost everything off screens in the first half, and it didn't take long for their sheer length and size to completely overwhelm the Black Knights.
Army shot 35% from the field, 8-of-30 (27%) from three-point range, and attempted just nine free throws all night. The Blue Devils outrebounded the Black Knights 37-28, notched 16 steals and six blocks, and turned 24 Army turnovers into 29 points on the other end.
Duke needs some fine-tuning in its transition offense, but it's the first game of the season, and Duke is clearly ahead of schedule on the defensive end of the floor. The Blue Devils can sort of play positionless defensively sometimes with the sheer length and number of options, but it was an all-around great day on that end.
Duke has the personnel to win the rebounding battle in just about every game this season. Not only will it be able to find high-percentage looks at the basket consistently, but the Blue Devils' length will make second-chance points a big potential advantage in the majority of their games.
The Blue Devils were only +9 on the glass against Army and won the offensive rebounding margin 14-10. However, Duke turned those 14 offensive boards into 20 points. It's not about the sheer number of second-chance opportunities a team can generate, but whether it can capitalize on them. The glass should be a big point of emphasis, and a huge advantage, for Duke all season.
In the first five or so minutes of the game, Jon Scheyer's club looked like a well-oiled machine offensively. The half-court action was clean and efficient; Duke moved the ball at a high level and got Army's defense in rotation fairly quickly. In both halves, the Blue Devils got off to hot starts, then found some ruts later on.
Duke assisted on 13 of its 29 made shots and has a ton of talented passers on the roster. One of the Blue Devils' biggest offensive advantages this season is the number of real scoring threats it has on the team. John Blackwell, Duke's best all-around scorer, notched three points on 1-of-6 shooting in his debut. Duke still put up 84 points on 49% shooting from the floor.
On the other hand, there were several sloppy live-ball turnovers that could've been avoided, but those aren't shocking this early in the year. Duke assisted on 13 of its 29 made shots, but also coughed it up 13 times. Scheyer's team showed some great things on offense in spurts, but there's clearly much more there.
Nov 2, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Army Black Knights guard Ryan Curry (2) lays the ball up in front of Duke Blue Devils forward Sebastian Wilkins (5) during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The free-throw line hurt Duke in some big games last season; it ranked 175th nationally in team free-throw shooting percentage, according to KenPom . Based on three preseason games and the opener against Army, the charity stripe could be one of this team's biggest areas of improvement.
Duke shot 22-of-26 (85%) from the line, compared to the Black Knights' 6-of-9 (67%) clip. That's a +16 margin in free-throw makes and a +17 mark in attempts. The Blue Devils attempted double-digit free throws in both halves on Monday night.
Like the foul line, the perimeter looked like an area where Duke could improve significantly from last season. Across its three preseason games, Duke shot a combined 32-of-83 (38.6%) from the perimeter, an average of just under 28 attempts per game. Against Army, the Blue Devils went 4-of-22 (18%) from the three-point line.
Duke has the personnel to be a dangerous outside shooting team. It lived in the paint early and got good looks from three, but they just didn't fall. Scheyer and his staff have capable shooters all over the floor, and the three-point numbers should vastly improve from 2025-26.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Basketball Report Card: What Helped, Hurt Against Army .
