LAWRENCE, KANSAS - OCTOBER 25: John Blackwell #13 of the Duke Blue Devils (L) celebrates a play against the Kansas Jayhawks with Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half of an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse on October 25, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) Getty
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - OCTOBER 25: Trent Perry #23 and Keanu Dawes #8 of the Kansas Jayhawks try to block a shot by Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse on October 25, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) Getty
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 20: Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje #30 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball during the first half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 20, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Getty
The Duke Blue Devils just won their exhibition game against the Kansas Jayhawks 90-84. They were on the road in a hostile environment against a good team with the number 1 freshman recruit, Tyrone Stokes. This was a big win for Duke; it was their final exhibition game before the season starts and gives them momentum heading into the season.
GettyLAWRENCE, KANSAS – OCTOBER 25: John Blackwell #13 of the Duke Blue Devils (L) celebrates a play against the Kansas Jayhawks with Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half of an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse on October 25, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images)
Duke had 34 paint points and dominated the rebounding battle. The Blue Devils grabbed 43 rebounds to the Jayhawks 30. Kansas actually hit two more field goals than Duke. The difference was that Kansas missed 9 free throws, and Duke made 27 of 33 attempts at the line. The Jayhawks actually led in a lot of the statistical categories, but Duke was able to make most of their free throws.
Duke had 11 second-chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds. They were the more aggressive team, attacking and drawing fouls. Their bigs were drawing double teams and passing it to the open guy. The guards were playing fast and setting plays up; they were throwing entry passes to the bigs so that they could go to work.
GettyLAWRENCE, KANSAS – OCTOBER 25: Trent Perry #23 and Keanu Dawes #8 of the Kansas Jayhawks try to block a shot by Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse on October 25, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images)
Patrick Ngongba dominated the game in the paint from start to finish, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Shooting 9-of-12 from the field, he also knocked down a three-pointer and converted nine of his 10 free-throw attempts. He was showcasing his ability to score in the post with a powerful back down and layups while also making hook shots. He is also a good passer out of the post and is able to find the open guy.
Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell added 23 points to help Ngongba out. He went 6/12 from the field and made 4 out of his 7 three-point attempts. He hit two crucial threes near the end to help Duke pull away in a close game. Outside of Ngongba and Blackwell, the rest of the team struggled shooting from the field, aside from Bryson Howard and Sebastian Wilkins, who went 4/4 combined.
Tyrone Stokes from Kansas tried to carry the Jayhawks as much as he could. He had 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, leading the team in all three stats. The freshman was aggressively attacking the paint and drawing fouls while also showing off his playmaking skills. He didn't have much help out there and almost single-handedly won the game for Kansas until Duke finally pulled away.
GettyDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 20: Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje #30 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball during the first half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 20, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
This may have just been an exhibition game, but this gives Duke a lot of momentum and confidence heading into the regular season. They just won back-to-back games against two ranked opponents. They should be feeling good, and their confidence should be sky-high. The Blue Devils are looking extremely good just days away from the season starting.
They have their first game on Monday, November 2nd against Army. I'm sure they can't wait for it to start after the way they've looked in preseason. This is one of the deepest teams that Duke has ever had. They have a bunch of players that can have huge scoring nights. This will be an exciting team to watch all season long.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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