Blue Devil Country

Duke Shows Great Improvement in Key Stat Against FSU

Jon Scheyer has to be thrilled after the Blue Devils showed drastic improvement in this key aspect of the game.
Hugh Straine|
Dec 31, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 85-79. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 85-79. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

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The Duke basketball program squeaked out a tight victory over an inferior opponent for the second game in a row, as it downed Florida State (7-8, 0-2 ACC) 91-87 on the road on Saturday. It was another matchup where the Blue Devils just didn't look as sharp defensively as they had through their first 11 games of the season, but second-half adjustments and key performances from guys such as Isaiah Evans and Cameron Boozer propelled Jon Scheyer's club to victory.

Evans went for a career-high 28 points on 8-of-17 (47.1%) shooting from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9%) shooting from three-point range. The Blue Devils are now 20-0 over the past two seasons when the sharpshooting sophomore tallies a double-figure scoring effort. Boozer contributed 17 points and nine assists of his own.

However, what is the most promising sign for Duke fans for the future is the major improvement from the Blue Devils in the free throw department, a part of the game that has become a major disadvantage for the team throughout the early part of the campaign.

Duke basketball shows promising signs from the free throw line in road win over Florida State

Duke's biggest lead throughout the entirety of the game was nine, and clutch shot-making down the stretch from the Seminoles gave the Blue Devil faithful an eerie feeling that missed free throws could be the catalyst in yet another tough loss for Scheyer's group. But, that wasn't the case.

The Blue Devils shot 23-of-25 (92%) from the charity stripe against FSU, compared to the Seminoles' 11-of-16 (69%) performance themselves. This was the first game of the season where the Blue Devils shot better than 90% from the line as a squad, and that efficiency was necessary in order for them to pick up a tight win.

Duke's free throw line struggles have become a huge issue, and it cost the team a victory for the first time against No. 15 Texas Tech on Dec. 20. The Blue Devils have dominated opponents in terms of free throw attempts this year, but the lack of ability to knock them down consistently has plagued them from using it as an advantage.

On the season, Duke is a ridiculous +147 against its opponents in free throw attempts, but is +105 in makes. In the loss to the Red Raiders, Duke went an abysmal 17-of-29 (59%) from the stripe.

The Blue Devils currently rank 188th at KenPom in team free throw percentage (71.6). However, seeing the squad knock down clutch free throws in a game where it really mattered is a very exciting sign for fans to see.

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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.