Duke Set To Face One of Nation’s Most Underrated Players

In a tough home matchup against SMU, Duke basketball will need to contain one of the most under-the-radar guards in college basketball.

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) attempts a foul shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

After taking down No. 20 Louisville (11-4, 1-2 ACC) at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday night, the No. 6-ranked Duke Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0 ACC) now look to get out to a 4-0 start in league play back at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Blue Devils will host No. 24 SMU (12-3, 1-1 ACC) on Jan. 10 at 2:00 pm EST.

The Blue Devils have looked far from elite over their last few contests, allowing three of their last four opponents to shoot 53% or better from the field, after not allowing a single opponent to shoot 45% or better through their first 11 matchups. The three-game stretch for Duke against No. 14 Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, and Florida State became the instance since February 2009 where the team allowed three straight opponents to shoot 53% from the field or better.

Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) directs a play as Louisville Cardinals guard J'vonne Hadley (1) guards during a conference ACC game. January 6, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, Jon Scheyer's club gears up to take on one of the most prolific offenses in the ACC in SMU. The Mustangs rank 15th nationally at KenPom in adjusted offensive efficiency and have scored at least 90 points in eight of their first 15 games this season. Andy Enfield's squad is led by guard Boopie Miller, who has become one of the most underrated players in the nation.

Boopie Miller Might Be the Nation’s Top Player No One Is Talking About

Might wanna guard 2. pic.twitter.com/ZuOLoQkQLt

— SMU Basketball (@SMUBasketball) January 8, 2026

Miller is in his second season with the SMU program after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Central Michigan, followed by a year at Wake Forest. Not only is the Chicago native one of the most prolific guards in the ACC, but he's becoming one of the most productive players in the nation that no one's talking about.

The 6'0", 175-pound guard currently leads the ACC in assists at 7.1 per game while ranking fourth in points per game (20.6), third in steals per game (2.0), and sixth in made three-pointers (31). Miller is connecting on 42.5% of his shots from beyond the perimeter on 4.9 attempts a contest.

Boopie built different 💪 pic.twitter.com/mvimf43lXg

— SMU Basketball (@SMUBasketball) January 6, 2026

SMU's lead guard has tallied over 20 points scored in eight games so far this season, as well as four games of double-digit assists. In SMU's seven games against Power Conference foes, Miller is averaging 21.9 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.4 steals on 47.9% shooting from the field and 41.6% shooting from three on 5.1 attempts from beyond the arc per game. Miller is also likely the conference's best free throw shooter, as he's knocked down 98 of his 106 attempts from the line (92.5%), averaging about seven attempts from the charity stripe per contest.

The Mustangs are coming off a 74-70 loss to Clemson (13-3, 3-0 ACC) on the road, and with the less-than-elite defense that SMU possesses, it's clear the Blue Devils will need to lean on their own defense to win. In SMU's 12 wins, it has averaged a staggering 94.5 points scored. In its three losses, that number drops all the way down to 72 points scored on average.

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