Biggest Winners & Losers From Duke Basketball's Win Over Army

Duke is 1-0.

The Blue Devils hosted Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night to begin the 2026-27 campaign. It wasn't the prettiest 40 minutes from Jon Scheyer's squad, but it still walked away with an 84-50 win. Let's go over some of the biggest winners and losers.

Sebastian Wilkins

Sebastian Wilkins is going to become a fan favorite in Durham pretty quickly. The 6'8" forward looks like the ultimate glue guy, as Wilkins impacts winning in so many ways. Rebounding, active hands, attacking the basket, passing, defensive versatility, shooting threat. You name it, Wilkins provides it.

The redshirt freshman plays with 100% effort when he's on the floor, and there will certainly be a consistent role for him in this rotation.

Dame Sarr

Dame Sarr was arguably the Blue Devils' biggest riser throughout the preseason, and he looks like the team's best all-around player. His cutting has improved dramatically, along with his frame alone. We spent a lot of time discussing his potential growth as a 3-and-D prospect in his second year of college basketball, but he's becoming a much more well-rounded player.

Sarr could very well be this team's best defender and provides so much on the offensive end as well. His movement, desire to get to the rim, and improved free-throw shooting have all stood out. A big sophomore leap looks to be in store for the Italian wing.

Deron Rippey Jr.

Freshman point guard Deron Rippey Jr. has earned his spot in this rotation. It was understandable to question where his minutes would come from before the season began, since Duke had two experienced, high-level point guards ahead of him on the roster. However, the 5-star freshman has proven his value in the rotation.

Rippey is an unbelievable athlete, can make the three-point shot, is a fantastic perimeter defender, and can simply play the point guard position extremely well. If Sarr wasn't this team's biggest riser over the preseason, that accolade might go to Rippey. It will be interesting to follow how Scheyer uses him all season.

Shooting Struggles

Duke Blue Devils guard John Blackwell (13) reacts after scoring a three point shot against Kansas Jayhawks during the exhibition game inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Oct. 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Three-point shooting was not a strength for the Blue Devils a season ago, and across their three preseason outings, perimeter shooting looked vastly improved. It wasn't there for Duke in the opener.

Duke lived in the paint early, but even when open threes were there, Duke struggled to knock them down. Scheyer and Co. have the personnel to be a drastically improved three-point shooting team from last year, but it wasn't a big boost for the Blue Devils against the Black Knights. John Blackwell wasn't much of a scoring factor tonight, which won't be the case most of the time.

Turnovers

The overall offense will take some time to get into a full rhythm, which should be expected. Army's zone gave Duke some issues, and a few sloppy turnovers came as a result. Duke has already shown how good it can be offensively, and early growing pains are normal.

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