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Exhibition Games
Duke played their final exhibition game last Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse, outscoring Kansas 24-10 from the 11:41 media timeout to the 1:55 mark of the second half (9:46 of game time). My initial instinct is not to overreact to any of the results of the exhibition season in college basketball, and I prefer to just enjoy these competitive tune-ups prior to the regular season tipping off. However, I also think these exhibitions do provide excellent game reps and, in the case of Kansas, the opportunity to play in a hostile environment. Ken Pomeroy summed it up best recently in his article Exhibition madness:
“…most people dismiss the exhibition game as a contest void of information on the team level. Remember last season when Kentucky beat Purdue and Cincinnati won at Michigan? Clearly proof that exhibitions are meaningless, the preseason-haters will say….The people making the case for these games being random number generators will cherrypick the games from previous seasons that were upsets in retrospect. But what people are missing is that’s how college basketball works all season. Strange things can happen in a single college basketball game. That’s why we love it.”
In other words - yes, we shouldn’t overreact to any exhibition result (win or lose), but it’s also important to understand that these games do provide valuable information and represent how college basketball works all season long. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some clips and stats from Duke’s three exhibition games.
Ball Pressure
On the defensive end, I took note of the Duke’s ball pressure from multiple guys - Dame Sarr, Deron Rippey Jr., and Caleb Foster.1 Ball pressure forces the opponent to use more shot clock and start their actions further from the basket, disrupting the offense’s timing and flow. Here are some clips of Duke harassing the ball handler - picking up at different points of the floor, chasing over screens, and blowing up dribble hand-offs.
Shot Charts
I always like to look at Duke’s shot charts early on and, while focusing on attempts in the paint and from three is not unique in college basketball, I count only seven shots that are both outside the paint and inside the three-point line. Through the three exhibitions, Duke attempted 43.7% of their shots from beyond the arc and outscored their opponents 124-74 in the paint.2
vs. Belmont
vs. Tennessee
at Kansas
Fast Break Points
Duke 21 Belmont 7 | Duke 28 Tennessee 7 | Duke 6 Kansas 25
The Blue Devils did not allow 25 points in transition once last season, and 12 points was the high for an opponent in 2025. I can envision teams trying to get out and run like Kansas did to avoid playing against Duke’s set defense, especially if the Blue Devils are able to approach their defensive metrics from the previous two years, finishing 3rd (90.7) and 5th (90.8) respectively per KenPom.com.
Finally, without the usual analytics available since this was a preseason game, I charted possessions for that 9:46 in Lawrence I mentioned in the beginning. Each team had 17 possessions during that time, with Duke generating 1.43 points-per-possession and Kansas at just 0.59 - obviously a super efficient stretch for the Blue Devils. John Blackwell helped start it off on both ends of the floor, and then closed it with a triple for a 12-point lead with 2:57 remaining. Watch #13 fly around making plays, some of which don’t show up in the box score.3
Off-season Recommendations
As usual, EvanMiya.com has a ton of good preseason resources worth checking out. Miyakawa has the Blue Devils at preseason #2, and I particularly liked this passage from his most recent article:
I try to listen to Coach Scheyer any time I can, and especially enjoyed these two off-season interviews - and yes, he is still my (bleeping) guy.
How Basketball Can Save the World - by David Hollander
While I don’t love the title, this was such an interesting read. No, I don’t think basketball can actually save the world - but Professor Hollander provides great examples illustrating the global nature of the game, and how people are using basketball to better their communities. Hollander outlines 13 guiding principles he believes basketball can teach us - such as balancing individual and collective interests, positionless-ness, and basketball as an antidote for isolation and loneliness. Maybe I do love the title?4
The Dynasty: UConn Huskies - Apple TV
I love this quote from Geno Auriemma during an interview in the documentary, “Winning is like a mist that covers you and as the sun comes out, it goes away quickly. Losing is like the entire universe is strapped around your head and it just sits there forever.”
Five Banners - by John Feinstein
So, I can’t actually recommend this book yet. I added it to a recent order but have only glanced through it so far. However, John Feinstein has been one of my favorite sports writers for a while (lots of good golf books too) - he’s a Duke graduate, and unfortunately passed away in 2025. This was one of his final two books, and there is no chance I won’t enjoy it.
Season starts Monday….
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
It was great to have CFos back out there after missing the first two exhibition contests, and looking forward to Drew Scharnowski hopefully getting back soon as well.
Points in the Paint: Duke 44 Belmont 20 | Duke 46 Tennessee 16 | Duke 34 Kansas 38
The Jayhawks won the paint 22-12 in the first half before Duke posted a 22-16 advantage after halftime.
Including that first dunk for Sebastian Wilkins - the defense is concerned about Blackwell getting open, so Sebastian is open on the curl into the lane.
I also really liked learning more about Dr. James Naismith. Hollander chose 13 principles as an ode to Naismith’s 13 original rules of basketball.