Duke Needs to Improve This Key Weakness Against Stanford

The Blue Devils have yet to improve this glaring issue, and it could cost them a win against Stanford.

Jan 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Duke basketball program is gearing up for game two of its road trip out West. The Blue Devils took down California (13-5, 1-4 ACC) 71-56 on Wednesday night, and will face Stanford (14-4, 3-2 ACC) on the road on Saturday.

Stanford is coming off a signature victory over No. 14 North Carolina (14-3, 2-2 ACC) at home on Wednesday night, 95-90, behind 36 points from freshman superstar Ebuka Okorie. The Cardinal now own wins over the Tar Heels and No. 20 Louisville.

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) celebrates a three point basket against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Duke is looking to become just the second ACC team since Stanford and California joined the league to escape the West Coast road trip against both teams 2-0. Wake Forest is the only member of the conference to have accomplished that feat so far.

However, arguably the biggest weakness for the Blue Devils so far this season has been the free throw shooting. It has only cost them one game so far on the campaign, but that's mainly due to the drastically higher number of attempts from the line Duke takes relative to its opponents.

Jan 10, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) talks to head coach Jon Scheyer during the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Charity Stripe Hasn’t Been Kind to Duke

Duke currently ranks 230th nationally at KenPom in team free throw shooting percentage at 70.8%. That mark is also good for ninth in the ACC. With the sheer number of attempts Duke gets at the line, it should be a major advantage. But the inability to knock free throws down consistently has become an area of concern.

The Blue Devils currently rank second in the ACC in free throw attempts on the year at 428, while also allowing the least free throw attempts to opponents of any team in the ACC at 247.

Ebuka Okorie TOOK OVER vs No. 14 UNC:

36 PTS
9 ASTS
12-20 FG

🥵 @StanfordMBB pic.twitter.com/Br6WZye1PF

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 15, 2026

However, Duke hasn't done a good job of taking advantage of its plethora of trips to the line. Duke has made just 303 of its attempts, leaving 125 points on the board. The Blue Devils' opponents have knocked down 180 attempts from the line on the year. So, although Duke is +181 against its opponents in free throw attempts on the 2025-26 campaign, it is just +123 in makes.

Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) brings the ball up court against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Duke Will Need To Be Efficient at Free Throw Line Against Stanford

The only team in the ACC that has attempted more free throws than Duke is Stanford, which has attempted 453 while knocking them down at a 72.4% clip, good for seventh in the conference. However, the Cardinal have also allowed the second-most free throws to opponents of any team in the conference at 385.

Now, the Blue Devils can mitigate Stanford's free throw makes by simply not fouling, which they've achieved at a superb level all season. But if the numbers indicate anything, this is a contest that features two high-powered offenses, and it could easily come down to makes at the charity stripe to seal the deal.

dark mode pic.twitter.com/hW6gnedEOe

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 15, 2026

Against No. 15 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden, Duke's lone loss on the season, the team went just 6-of-13 (46.2%) at the line in the second half and 17-of-29 (59%) on the game. The Red Raiders shot 4-of-7 (57.1%) from the stripe in the second half and 7-of-10 (70%) for the game. The Blue Devils lost 82-81.

It doesn't have to be perfect, but Duke will need to convert easy points at the line to consistently win games, especially when facing another squad that gets to the line at will.

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