NC State Packs It In Vs. Duke, Blue Devils Win By 29 Anyway

Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Matt Able (3) shoots the ball under pressure from Duke Blue Devils guard Darren Harris (8) during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images We were a little wary about th

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What is the story about?

We were a little wary about the trip to Raleigh, because State is a tough place to play. And when Ven-Allen Lubin opened with a dunk and Darrion Williams hit a couple of early shots, it looked like it might be one of those nights.

Didn’t last long.

Behind a great first offensive half from Dame Sarr, who racked up 14 before the break, the Blue Devils got some early separation, going up 13-8. State fought back but the Blue Devils pulled away again, building a 24-18 lead and just overwhelming the Pack

from there, ultimately winning, 93-64. The win also guaranteed the Devils the ACC regular season championship.

State tried to zone Duke to compensate for its lack of size, but it didn’t work. Lubin only played 12 minutes and had four fouls. Scottie Ebube fouled out in just 11. Musa Sagnia played 17 minutes and had three fouls.

And Duke shot holes in the zone early, hitting 8-17 in the first half, with Sarr hitting three of those.

Sarr’s performance could change things.

He’s carved out a role as a defensive savant, but his offense has been hit or miss, if you’ll pardon the expression. Against State, he even took off and hit a dunk in the half court. Earlier in the season, he just couldn’t do that.

If he becomes a reliable offensive presence, Duke has another weapon to wrap around Cameron Boozer.

The zone was to slow down Boozer and Pat Ngongba, of course, and it worked for a few minutes. Boozer started drawing fouls though and had 11 at the break.

But as much fun as the offense was, as steady as it was, the story, again, was the defense.

Duke put a hurting on State. Williams, who was grinning and having a good time after hitting a couple of early shots, lost that cockiness. Early on, Quadir Copeland had something to say to his old Syracuse teammate, Maliq Brown. That cockiness didn’t last long either.

Williams got 11 points in the first half, but shot 4-10/3-7. Copeland meanwhile had 4 points, but shot just 1-5/0-1 and had 3 assists and 2 turnovers.

Williams finished with 17 and 1 rebound, while Copeland managed 11 points, 5 assists, and three turnovers. Lubin got 6 points and 3 rebounds while Tre Holloman played just four minutes and got 1 assist. Paul McNeil managed 9 points, but shot just 1-9.

Duke just put a lock on State. Collectively, the Pack shot 7-29 (24%) on threes and 23-65 (35%) overall.

In the end, Duke just methodically pulled away. The zone might have helped some, but not nearly enough: Duke’s biggest lead was 32.

In the end, the crowd was quiet and Jack Scott and Cameron Sheffield, who rarely play, were in.

For the rotation players, Boozer shot 8-10/1-2 for 26 points. He also grabbed 9 rebounds. Ngongba had 11 points off 4-6 from the floor. He picked off 5 boards of his own. And Maliq Brown hit 2-2 with 4 rebounds.

Add it up, and Duke’s big guys shot 14-18, so Wade’s concern was correct. He just couldn’t do anything about it.

Those three finished with 41 points and 18 rebounds.

Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster hooked up for 12 and 6 points, respectively. Evans shot 4-8, all threes, while Foster hit 2-8/1-5.

Since losing to UNC on February 7th, Duke has won by 16 over Pitt, by 13 over Clemson, by 37 over Syracuse, by five over then-No. 1 Michigan, by 44 over Notre Dame, by 26 over Virginia, and by 29 over NC State.

This team appears to be peaking at exactly the right time, and if Sarr can add some extra offense, well, it’s just that much more dangerous.

Duke currently has a two-year regular season run of 35-2. That’s even more impressive when you consider that in both seasons, Jon Scheyer had immense roster turnover.

Now, it’s on to Saturday’s rematch with the Tar Heels, who may have Caleb Wilson back from his wrist injury. The Cameron side of the rivalry is always good, but that could be spectacular.

Notes – watching Copeland woof at Brown was actually pretty funny, but he who laughs last and all of that…this team’s confidence is really striking…this wasn’t Cayden Boozer’s best game…Scottie Ebube getting a wedgie on a foul shot even made the unhappy State fans laugh…one of the best things about this year’s team is the chemistry…which was one of the best things about last year’s as well…Scheyer has to get a lot of credit for that…we haven’t read Will Wade’s comments fully, but he said this…These guys are in a different weight class than we are right now….hard to argue…