Latest news and updates about the Duke
Bryson Howard, we suspect, will come into Duke a bit underrated. After all, look who else is in his class: Cameron Williams, Deron Rippey, and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. Howard has a lifetime of basketball education from his father Josh, who started for four years at Wake Forest and was not necessarily fond of Duke. Fortunately, […]
Back about a week ago, Duke University announced that their men’s basketball team was 1) scheduling three non-conference games against UConn, Michigan, and Gonzaga and 2) arranging for those three games to be broadcast in a unique deal through Amazon Prime Video. At the time, my instant reaction was two-fold, neither of which really warranted […]
Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson appeared on Front Office Sports and talked about her crazy year: she’s got her Duke job obviously, but she’s also going to be the US women’s national coach, and she’s also going to be an analyst for Prime’s WNBA coverage. As she explains it here, the Prime job is […]
The whole concept of Blue Bloods is annoying. Some teams have been very successful over the decades, obviously, including Duke. But the term seems kind of dumb. That said, people use it, so who would be a Blue Blood? Most of these teams would probably make your list, but some you’d surely drop. Indiana has […]
One of the interesting and defining differences between Jon Scheyer’s Duke teams and those of his GOAT predecessor, Mike Krzyzewski is that Coach K tended to focus on athleticism over size. For his part, Scheyer has a clear preference for taller players. Still athletic, but taller. From what we’ve seen, Scheyer’s defense is more conservative. […]
After the news broke about the Duke-Amazon deal to stream three games, and then the Big Ten’s reaction, we started looking for interesting responses. The smartest, most informed post we saw about it was from North Carolina IP attorney David McKenzie, who is also a Duke grad. His post on Twitter was pretty remarkable, because […]
Jon Scheyer may or may not be done with his roster, but he’s put together a deep and impressive group already. Below is the roster as it would look if the season started Monday. Returnees Incoming Transfers Freshman Recruiting Class But look a bit beyond the surface. What did we see in three of Scheyer’s […]
A few days ago, we wrote how Duke basketball’s media rights move with Amazon was utterly brilliant. It’s very rare in the 2000s for any school or conference to one-up the Big 10 or SEC when it comes to media rights management. That’s a testament to the work of former Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany … Continue reading »
Listen now (58 mins) | Also, a look around the Big East.
The reactions to Duke’s deal with Amazon Prime have been interesting, to say the least. Is it a turning point in college athletics? Probably. Is it something that can’t be overcome? Probably not. Over at OrangeFizz.net, there is outrage, a sense that Duke just got an unmatchable advantage, and that it “bought” it. To that, […]
We’re not done with the news! We’re back very quickly to discuss more of the Duke Basketball news coming out over the past few days on Episode 822! If Episode 821 was the recruiting episode, 822 is the news episode and we start with the news that Duke has created a deal with Amazon Prime […]
Good morning, BBN! The world of college athletics is quickly changing as eligibility rules start to come into focus, but it is still NIL that has the college sports world on edge. As revenue sharing has become legal, the old world of college athletics is gone, meaning you have to be innovative to get to […]
Well, this is interesting: Duke has struck a deal with Amazon to air three games on Prime. Amazon will broadcast carry the UConn game in Las Vegas on November 25, Michigan in the Garden on December 21, and Gonzaga in Detroit on February 20. According to ESPN, this includes significant NIL opportunities for the players […]
Major news this morning as Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje has committed to Duke for 2026. Just 16, Boumtje Boumtje won’t turn 17 until late next month. A 7-footer, Boumtje Boumtje has a well-rounded game. He’s been playing with FB Barcelona, but he’s actually from St. Petersburg, Florida. Boumtje Boumtje fits the Duke profile in several ways. […]
Duke and UConn had an epic Elite Eight matchup in March that UConn won on a brilliant last-second shot by Braylon Mullin. Duke was playing with two starters coming off the bench due to foot injuries, and Cameron Boozer playing with a fractured orbital socket. But the Huskies showed a lot of heart and earned […]
Over the decades, Duke and UNC have often gone head-to-head for talented young players. Just think back: Art Heyman flipped to Duke at the dawn of the Vic Bubas era. Danny Ferry was a huge UNC target, then Duke got involved. Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Jason Williams all used to be UNC […]
Given the nature of the rivalry Duke fans naturally keep an eye on the other end of 15-501, and of course, that’s true for UNC as well. There was a big development in Chapel Hill Saturday, as center Henri Veesaar decided to remain in the NBA Draft rather than return to Chapel Hill. Is it […]
Over at CBSSports.com, Gary Parrish has one of the more rational takes on Duke under Jon Scheyer than we’ve seen in a while. Here’s part of what he said: “The problem, of course, with consistently assembling rosters that on paper seem good enough to win the whole thing is that it becomes a criticism directed […]
On Wednesday, Isaiah Evans announced that he would enter the 2026 NBA Draft, and through the course of the day, it sort of became clear that things are a little bit different now for Duke Basketball. This is not a knock on anyone, but see if this rings true to you: Duke fans feel more […]
Caleb Foster returns! The Duke point guard has announced that he will return for his senior season, and we hop on very quickly on DBR Bites #163 to discuss it! Pressure? What pressure? Competition? Bring it. Foster’s announcement just a few minutes before Donald and Jason hopped on to talk about it is telling us […]
John Blackwell chose Duke on Tuesday afternoon, and that adds a very interesting piece to Duke’s basketball team. So what kind of player is he? Well, he’s 6-4, reasonably but not freakishly athletic, and he plays with immense confidence. He developed steadily at Wisconsin and this year emerged as a major factor in Big Ten […]
At one point in his long career, Mike Krzyzewski had to make a hire, and he thought it would be a good idea to bring in an older coach. And then he realized that he was the older coach. Jon Scheyer is decidedly on the other end of that. Still just 38 – he won’t […]
Some more good news for Duke as redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins says he’ll be back next season. He’s an intriguing player. Wilkins is a big, strong forward, but at 6-8 and 220, he may also be able to play on the perimeter. With the team Jon Scheyer is assembling, Wilkins has the potential to play […]
He’s back! Patrick Ngongba II has announced that he’s returning to Duke for his junior year, and we cannot be more excited on DBR Bites #162. Pat’s return will have some expectations attached to it as he seeks to be one of the best centers in the country next season. Jason and Donald are excited […]
Here’s some huge news for Duke Basketball: Pat Ngongba is coming back for his junior season. That’s a really big deal for Duke, no pun intended. Big Pat showed a huge amount last season. He really helped shore up the interior defense, and his offense is subtle and effective. He’s also a really good passer. […]