Right now, as members of the 2025-26 Duke men’s squad pause to take finals and catch their collective breath, it’s worth taking a look at what they’ve accomplished in their first 10 games of the season.
Much is rightly made of Duke’s double-figure wins, a start matched among few other D-1 programs. Much is also made of Jon Scheyer’s ability to aggregate high-level players from one year to the next and turn out powerful squads despite personnel turnover that’s just short of breathtaking. It’s worth repeating that all five of last year’s starters are currently playing in the NBA, with Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg the early leaders for Rookie of the Year.
This year the buzz is all about Cameron Boozer. His overall game, his variegated skills and uncommon poise under pressure, spark talk of another Blue Devil being the first pick in the June NBA draft, after Flagg (2025), Pablo Banchero (2022), and Zion Williamson (2019). Boozer leads the ACC in scoring (23.0 points per game), is third in rebounding (9.9), fourth in official field goal accuracy (.559), and 13th in assists at 3.8 per outing.
Yet for all that, as well as the Devils’ 27.2 scoring margin — best in the league for the second straight season — it’s in a less-appreciated area that Duke’s perhaps most impressive.
Namely, this is an extraordinary defensive unit, even for a program built on tough D under Mike Krzyzewski.
Other than during the 1980s and a flurry of seasons late last century and early in this one, Duke has not been defined by its defense. Augmented, certainly, but not noted first and foremost for spider-web like stickiness or wet blanket stifling in the way of Tony Bennett’s teams from 2010 to 2024.
Yet, quietly, over the past 49 games stretching back to the start of last season, Scheyer’s long-limbed Devils — switching at every position, with a dash of zone as advisable — led the ACC in scoring defense. Last year the score-suppression rate was 62.8 points per game; this year it’s 59.6.
Combined over that 49-game span, including league contests and NCAA competition, Duke has allowed an average of 61.5 points since November of 2024. Next best in the ACC this season is Syracuse at 64.4 points allowed. Clemson was second-best last year at 65.8.
Much is made of Houston’s defense — its 57.8 points allowed per game so far this year is second in the NCAA. Duke is fifth. The Blue Devils lead Division I in field goal percentage defense at .341. Houston is 11th. Last year Scheyer’s club came in at .384 suppression rate, tops in the ACC.
Part of Duke’s defensive discouragement — a stat former Miami coach Jim Larranaga thought to be of vital importance — is the ACC’s best 3-point shooting defense at .267. In 2025 it was .311, a shade behind Wake (.307) within the league.
Meanwhile the Devils set the ACC pace in scoring margin – 20.5 points last year and 27.2 so far this season. The latter is fifth in Division I.
Add it all up, and there may be a more sustained, hard-core defensive presence emerging at Duke than most folks appreciate.
| JON’S JUGGERNAUT (Duke Mark, #ACC Annual Rank Since Scheyer Became Head Coach, 2026 Through 12-12-25) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Scoring Defense |
FG% Defense |
3FG% Defense |
| 2026 | 59.0 #1 | .341 #1 | .267 #1 |
| 2025 | 62.8 #1 | .384 #1 | .311 #2 |
| 2024 | 66.3 #2 | .430 #6 | .318 #3 |
| 2023 | 63.6 #2 | .406 #2 | .305 #2 |
