Duke Basketball Jerseys 'Diving on Floor' Adds to Blue Devil Delight

The Blue Devils recorded nine steals and four blocks in the first half alone en route to their empatic 102-62 scrimmage win over the Belmont Bruins in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday night. And they hustled to corral loose balls and rebounds throughout the blowout, altogether putting forth a consistently spirited 40-minute effort that drew praise from fifth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer afterward.

"I loved seeing Duke jerseys diving on the floor," Scheyer said. "We had a couple of moments we did that."

But Scheyer made sure to point out that there's plenty of room for growth, which is understable considering the early preseason outing marked the first for the deep cast of Blue Devils against an opponent.

"We had a couple of times we didn't [dive on the floor], a couple of breakdowns guarding the ball," Scheyer noted. "That has to improve. And you know, [the Bruins] had great movement. So, I have to go back and watch film, but I did think that tested our principles in terms of off-ball defense.

5 points in 5 seconds pic.twitter.com/29amuywzes
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 9, 2026

"But there was an effort and a mindset there that I liked, which I think is really the foundation of any good defense that you have."

Eight Blue Devils recorded at least one steal, led by four with two apiece in freshman forward/center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, sophomore guard Cayden Boozer, sophomore wing Dame Sarr, and sophomore forward Sebastian Wilkins.

Cayden x Bash x JB after the dub pic.twitter.com/VbuA7uHZCy
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 9, 2026

Defensive Intensity Pays Off for Duke Basketball Rookie Deron Rippey Jr.

A staunch defensive mindset was undoubtedly noticeable in the demeanor that Deron Rippey Jr. presented from the very moment that the first-year Duke basketball guard first entered the contest early in the first half.

Rip ball pressure 🧃🧃🧃🔒 pic.twitter.com/Hszntf0i6S
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 9, 2026

Rippey's effort didn't translate into points for himself before halftime. No worries, though, for he made clear to Duke Blue Devils On SI following the game that he was more than happy to make defense a priority from the get-go before getting to enjoy some bucket-getting highlights of his own in the second half.

"That's how I set the tone," Rippey, who finished tied for third on the squad with his plus/minus of +22 against Belmont, explained in the locker room. "But for me, I take what the defense gives me. You know, whatever it is that Coach Scheyer needs me to do — come in and play defense, come in and make the one more pass — that's what I'm going to come in and do.

I spent the final minute of our media time in the locker room tonight chatting with Duke basketball freshman Deron Rippey Jr. It's obvious he's enjoying himself on this loaded team in Durham and with his mom and dad on hand to watch.😈🏀🎥🗣⬇️ pic.twitter.com/TOC2rw32Je
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) October 9, 2026

"Obviously, I didn't score in the first half. But that didn't really affect my game. I would say, coming into the second half, I just played more in transition."

Across 22 minutes off the bench, Rippey totaled 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He shot an efficient 4-for-6 from the field, 1-for-1 from three, and 2-for-3 at the charity stripe.

every bucket from the win over Belmont pic.twitter.com/APPdIADqqU
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 9, 2026

Duke basketball now has over a week and a half of practice to prepare for their home exhibition matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network).

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