Duke basketball entered its West Coast slate with questions on the defensive side of the ball.
The No. 6 Blue Devils (17-1, 6-0 ACC) left with answers.
Duke swept its two-game West Coast swing, taking down Cal 71-56 on Wednesday and capping it off with an 80-50 win over Stanford on Saturday night. The Blue Devils became the second team in the ACC to sweep its trip out west since Cal and Stanford joined the league in 2024, and first to do so this season.
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Prior to Saturday night, Wake Forest was the lone ACC team to do so, with the Demon Deacons accomplishing the feat last season.
“That’s a special thing that we’re really proud of,” head coach Jon Scheyer said postgame on the Blue Devils Sports Network. “… For us, we’re always trying to be different. The best way to be different is when not a lot of teams come out here and do that.”
The Blue Devils held the Cardinal to 35.2% from the field, Duke’s second game holding its opponent to 37% or less from the field, and forced 18 Stanford turnovers which resulted in 22 points.
“I thought it was maybe our best defensive game for 40 minutes,” Scheyer said. “Our guys, I thought they had an edge from the get-go. There were no let ups.”
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Duke held the ACC’s leading scorer, Ebuka Okorie, to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting with four turnovers, largely due to the defensive effort of Dame Sarr. It marked just the second time this season Okorie was held to single digits after coming off a season-high 36-point performance in a win over UNC.
The Blue Devils came into the West Coast swing having allowed four of their last five opponents to shoot 50% or better from the field.
“It was a team effort, and of course we knew how good he is,” Sarr said. “He’s coming off a strong, strong game. So we knew he was the key of the game and we tried to take him out.”
Cameron Boozer scored 30 of Duke’s points, at one point outscoring Stanford as a whole, logging his ninth double-double of the year with 14 rebounds. Boozer scored the first six points of the contest and was 10-of-14 from 2, helping the Blue Devils win the paint 44-20, their highest outpoint in the paint this season.
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Patrick Ngongba II also helped Duke inside with 13 points, while Isaiah Evans recorded his sixth-straight double-digit game with 15 points.
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“Having players like Cameron Boozer, Pat Ngongba II, they’re unbelievable and we’re lucky to have them,” Sarr said. “They always put pressure in the paint and that helps us to have open shots.”
It marks the most complete 40-minute performance of the season for Duke. The Blue Devils had shown it in flashes, especially its second half against Louisville where it outscored the Cardinals 46-26 and held them to 32% from the field. They also showed it Wednesday night against the Golden Bears, holding them to a season-low 26 points in the second half on 31.8% shooting.
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But against Stanford, everything clicked for the Blue Devils. Slow starts were not an issue, with Duke never trailing as Stanford was 1-of-9 from the field to start the game. It marks Duke’s largest margin of victory in conference play yet.
“I thought we were able to put it together on both sides of the ball,” Scheyer said. “… We’re growing, which is what you want. We have to continue to grow, but I’m really proud of our guys.”
Duke has a week off before returning home to Cameron Indoor Stadium to host Wake Forest on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 5:45 p.m. ET.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball closes West Coast swing with dominant Stanford win
