Blue Devil Country

Lineup Switch Provides Major Boost for Duke's Ngongba

How Patrick Ngongba found a new rhythm coming off the bench.
Hugh Straine|
Dec 6, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
Dec 6, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

The No. 6-ranked Duke Blue Devils improved to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in ACC play following an 82-75 victory over No. 24 SMU (12-4, 1-2 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

After consistently lackluster defense from the Blue Devils across the team's last several games, head coach Jon Scheyer elected to tweak the starting lineup. The switch in the frontcourt didn't completely shift Duke's defensive performance, but sophomore center Patrick Ngongba certainly reaped the benefits in his first game coming off the bench.

booze
Jan 10, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) drives to the basket as Southern Methodist Mustangs guard B.J. Edwards Jr. (0) defends during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Duke had allowed three of its last four opponents to shoot 53% or better from the field as a team heading into the contest against SMU, one of the ACC's most prolific offenses. Now, the percentages won't tell the entire story, as the Blue Devils allowed the Mustangs to shoot 57% from the floor as a team and 50% from three-point range. But, Duke limited an SMU team that has averaged 94.5 points per game in its 12 wins to 75, while forcing 21 turnovers, a season-high for the Mustangs, that turned into 21 Duke points.

With the defense lacking, Scheyer elected to implement senior big Maliq Brown, potentially the best defender in all of college basketball, into the starting lineup in place of Ngongba, who had started every game for the team leading up to the date with SMU on Saturday.

Patrick Ngongba Tallies Big Game off the Bench

Ngongba still played 27 minutes against the Mustangs compared to Brown's 18, but coming off the bench seemingly allowed the sophomore to find a new rhythm offensively.

The 6'11, 250-pound big man tied his career-high with 17 points to go along with five rebounds on 6-of-10 (60%) shooting from the floor. Ngongba's 10 shot attempts are the most he has taken in a game throughout his career in Durham.

"Pat has a career-high," Scheyer said in his press conference after the Blue Devils' fourth straight win. "And, we know Pat, how special of a player he can be."

Compared to his freshman year with Duke, Ngongba's footwork and use of his body in the paint have improved exceptionally. As the only true five-man who plays serious minutes on this roster, he's a major factor for the Blue Devils, much more on the offensive side than he was in 2024-25. Ngongba has become a willing shooter and driver of the basketball as opposed to purely a back-to-the-basket big, and his 2026 NBA Draft stock is continuing to rise.

Ngongba is averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds on 63.9% shooting on the 2025-26 campaign.

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Hugh Straine
HUGH STRAINE

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.