Duke Basketball Breaks Program Record With Sweet 16 Win

Back to a healthy nine-man rotation for the first time this postseason due to the return of Duke basketball junior guard and regular season starter Caleb Foster from a foot injury, the No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils recorded a 80-75 victory over the No. 5 seed St. John's Red Storm at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Friday night.

With the Sweet 16 win, Duke reaching its third straight Elite Eight under Jon Scheyer's command and set a new program record for the most wins across any two seasons (70) in its storied history.

Duke basketball guard Isaiah Evans — Duke basketball wing Isaiah Evans versus the St. John's Red Storm at the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans On SI

Entering the contest on a 13-game winning streak, the Blue Devils struggled in the early going to combat the Red Storm's fullcourt attack. Despite jumping out to an 11-4 lead behind five quick points courtesy of freshman point guard Cayden Boozer, Duke committed four turnovers across the first nine minutes and change of action en route to facing a six-point deficit at 23-17 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half.

Jon Scheyer's fourth batch of Blue Devils seized a 27-26 advantage following Cayden Boozer's strong drive and finish with 6:20 left on the clock before the break. And roughly 45 seconds later, sophomore wing Isaiah Evans pushed Duke's lead to 30-26 by splashing a shot from downtown against the staunch St. John's defense.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer versus St. John's — Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Duke continued to find its footing, albeit not without the Red Storm shooting 9-fo beyond the arc between the first 20 minutes, including a make with by Ruben Prey with 12 ticks remaining to propel St. John's to a 40-39 halftime advantage.

Evans (11 points and 1-for-4 from downtown in the first half), Cayden Boozer (seven points, two rebounds, two assists), and freshman phenom forward Cameron Boozer (nine points, 5-for-5 at the charity stripe) combined for over two-thirds of the now-35-2 Blue Devils' 39 points entering the locker room.

Duke Basketball Climbs Back and Then Some in Second Half

Thanks to Cameron Boozer's statement bucket off the glass just 16 seconds into the second half, Duke quickly regained the lead at 41-40, and Isaiah Evans knocked down a three on the squad's next possession to make it 44-40. However, Hall of Famer Rick Pitino's Red Storm responded with a powerful 8-0 run to lead, 48-44, forcing Jon Scheyer to call a 30-second timeout with 17:06 to play in the clash.

After trailing by as many as 10 at 55-45, Caleb Foster, who had gone scoreless up until that juncture, fueled a Duke run of its own, scoring the Blue Devils' next seven points before dishing an assist to Cameron Boozer to pull within three of St. John's at the under-12 timeout in the second half.

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— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 28, 2026

Lockdown defense and aggressive widespread playmaking powered the Blue Devils to a 63-62 lead after Evans capped off an individual 5-0 scoring run with what was then his second 3-point make of the half on only three attempts.

After falling behind again at 69-67, Evans drilled another from long range to put Duke back on top. And Cameron Boozer hit a jumper on the unit's next possession to give the Blue Devils a 72-69 advantage at the under-4 timeout.

Duke basketball versus the St. John's Red Storm — Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

From that point forward, just as has been the case time and again this season in crunch time, Duke was in full-on refuse-to-lose mode.

Three Blue Devils finished the battle with double-digit points: Isaiah Evans (25 points, 10-for-15 from the field, 4-for-8 beyond the arc), Cameron Boozer (22 points, 10 boards, three assists), and Caleb Foster (11 points, three rebounds, two assists).

Duke basketball will now gear up for the Elite Eight, as the Blue Devils face Friday night's winner between the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies and No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans in Washington, D.C., on Sunday (time and TV channel to be announced).

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