In the first couple of weeks during exhibition season in college basketball. There have been a number of quality team performances. One of them was Duke Basketball, handling the Belmont Bruins by 30+ points. However, they managed to look even better on Tuesday, dominating a Tennessee squad that was picked in the top-10 of the preseason AP poll.
An early 15-0 run allowed the Blue Devils to take a large lead. They ultimately coasted to an easy win, 101-64. They shot 53% from the field, with six double-digit scorers on the night. There was a lot to like from the game from the ACC team’s side. Here’s a look at three key takeaways.
1. Deron Rippey’s big outing
While Caleb Foster remained out, it was Rippey who took advantage in the Duke backcourt, leading all scorers with 21 points off the bench with 9/12 FG shooting. The five-star prospect came into the season in a crowded backcourt and minutes could be hard to find when everyone is healthy. John Blackwell (18 points) is the clear lead guard but Rippey looks to be in competition with both Foster and Cayden Boozer for more minutes in the backcourt.
2. Team defense remains elite
There certainly are issues with the Vols but offense wasn’t supposed to be one of them. They added five players who put up 15+ ppg at different spots and had several elite individual scorers. But it didn’t matter as Duke smothered them from start to finish, allowing Tennessee to shoot just 34% from the field. The Blue Devils brought back multiple quality defenders such as Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba, but it looks like the newcomers have also fully bought in on that end of the court.
3. Sebastian Wilkins emerges as rotation piece
With five-star freshman forward Cameron Williams recovering from a recent illness, redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins has been able to take advantage. After scoring in double figures off the bench, the 6’8 forward scored 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. Assuming Williams gets back into form, the frontcourt depth for Duke Basketball will be even better than expected, with Ngongba and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje leading the way in the starting lineup.
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