Duke rolled past Coastal Carolina 113-52 on Thursday night to improve to 2-0 on the young season. Heres a few quick observations from the victory.

Defense, Defense, and More Defense

Another day, another absolutely dominant defensive outing from the Blue Devils. Duke continues to look like the best all-around defensive team in college basketball, excelling in every area on that end of the floor.

Coastal Carolina had little to no hope of finding the paint against the Blue Devils, and Duke took every advantage it could of the Chanticleers' mistakes. In the first half alone, Jon Scheyer's club notched 26 points in the paint, 21 fast-break points, nine steals, four blocks, and it scored 21 points off 12 forced turnovers.

Duke's transition offense was also a good bit cleaner tonight, though turnovers were still an issue. The Blue Devils didn't necessarily force turnovers at a high rate last season, but they're using opponents' miscues to get out and run early in 2026-27.

Caleb Foster's Leadership

I believed throughout the offseason that Caleb Foster would be this team's starting point guard. Instead, Cayden Boozer has started both games. Now, we've also discussed that it doesn't really matter who the starter is, but Foster was a fantastic burst off the bench tonight.

The senior knocked down both of his three-point attempts in the first half and played fantastic perimeter defense. It will be interesting to follow whether the actual starter at the point guard spot changes in different games, but all of Foster, Boozer, and Deron Rippey Jr. have proven they deserve significant minutes. Foster's two-way spark off the bench stood out tonight at Cameron Indoor.

Patrick Ngongba's Two-Way Impact

If Patrick Ngongba declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, there's a pretty good chance he would've been a first-round pick. He elected to come back to school and now has a chance to be one of the best two-way centers in college basketball.

Ngongba had nearly 30 points by the midway point of the second half, and he was a major presence on both sides of the ball. He knocked down a couple of threes, but much of his scoring was simple. A post-entry pass, and he went to work, using his body, physicality, and footwork to create separation.

The 6'11" big man has spent some time guarding along the perimeter, which he's capable of doing. It will be interesting to see whether Scheyer keeps Ngongba in the paint or in a sort of drop coverage in premier games this season, or if the junior is consistently moving outside the paint defensively.