How Duke Players Cold-Plunged Into West Coast Mindset

Duke basketball arrived in California on Monday night. That gave the No. 6-ranked Blue Devils (16-1, 5-0 ACC) ample time to adjust to Pacific Time before facing — and ultimately defeating, 71-56 — the unranked Cal Golden Bears (13-5, 1-4 ACC) in Haas Pavilion late Wednesday night. And apparently, that's not all that went into the squad's next-level preparation ahead of this week's two-game road test in the Golden State.

"No, I feel like this program, we do a lot of things different than other people," sophomore wing Isaiah Evans pointed out in the locker room after sparking the Blue Devils' comeback in the first half against Cal en route to finishing the bout with 17 points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, and three blocks, all without commiting a single turnover across his 30 minutes on the floor.

SHOWTIME 📸 pic.twitter.com/MfK1MPNwJL
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 15, 2026

"We got here two days early. We did cold plunges in the morning the next day. We didn't sleep on the plane on the way here, because we wanted to get that first night's rest to shape our sleep schedule to fit this time. And then, I just feel like we handle ourselves like professionals.

"I think we're fine. We're going to get a good night's rest tonight, and then just try and get the next one."

Duke Basketball Getting Ready to Battle Stanford Next

Before returning home to Durham, the Blue Devils will square off against the unranked Stanford Cardinal (14-4, 3-2 ACC), fresh off its 95-90 Wednesday evening home win over the No. 14 UNC Tar Heels. That showdown between Duke and Stanford is set to tip off in Maples Pavilion at 6 p.m. ET Saturday (ACC Network).

"The trip is still going," fourth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer reminded the media during his postgame presser in Berkeley, "and nobody's come out here so far to win two games [against Cal and Stanford this season]. I think it's important how we handle tomorrow. I think that's a big thing.

"I thought our guys did a really good job on defense. That's been the point of emphasis for us. How to sustain the defensive intensity, the defensive awareness you need." pic.twitter.com/fFiVjaoMit
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 15, 2026

"The transition, I think, East Coast to West Coast, is...I don't want to say it's easy, because you have to adjust and all that, but these guys [Cal and Stanford] have to do it all the time. We have to do it once. And I thought, for us, we're a no-excuse program. We were just ready to roll. Whatever time we were playing, we'd be ready.

"I think the key, though, is how we handle the next couple days out here."

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.