Duke Throttles Boston College in Preparation for UNC

The No. 4-ranked Duke Blue Devils improved to 21-1 overall on the season and 10-0 in conference play following a 67-49 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium over Boston College (9-13, 2-7 ACC) on Tuesday night. Duke has now won eight of its last nine games by double digits.

This counted as a Quadrant 3 victory for the Blue Devils, not moving the needle really at all in terms of their NCAA Tournament resume. Boston College, according to KenPom and the NCAA NET Rankings, entered Tuesday night's bout as the second-worst Power Conference team in the nation, only behind Rutgers out of the Big 10.

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Through the first 15 minutes of the game, it looked like the Blue Devils could've run away with it by 40 or more points if they wanted to.

Duke got out to an 11-0 lead by the first media timeout and stretched that lead out to 35-18 with just under six minutes to go in the first half. Jon Scheyer's club entered the halftime locker room up 42-27.

Feb 3, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) drives to the basket as Boston College Eagles forward Aiden Shaw (23) defends during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

However, the second half wasn't nearly as efficient, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The Blue Devils tallied their lowest point total in any half this season with 25 while making careless mistakes on that side of the floor.

After shooting 60.7% from the field and 5-of-11 (45.5%) from three-point range across the first frame, Duke shot just 31.8% from the floor as a team and 0-of-7 from beyond the arc through the second half.

Jan 10, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Dame Sarr (7) reacts during a stoppage in the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Granted, it didn't really matter, as the Eagles were already far too gone to come back. Did the Blue Devils just take their foot off the gas? Maybe. At the end of the day, this matchup against Boston College served as a tune-up for the first edition of the rivalry matchup between Duke and No. 14 North Carolina (18-4, 6-3 ACC) on Saturday night in Chapel Hill.

Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer notched his 11th double-double of the year against the Eagles, tallying 19 points and 12 boards.

Jan 21, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) at the free throw line in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC Frontcourt Could Pose Trouble for Duke

North Carolina is one of the few teams in college basketball that can effectively match the Blue Devils' overwhelming size on the court.

Despite ranking just 56th nationally at KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency and 184th in opponent three-point percentage (34.1), the Tar Heels' frontcourt of 7'0" Henri Veesaar and 6'10" Caleb Wilson could be an issue.

Jan 21, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC ranks fifth nationally in opponent two-point field goal percentage (44.0), according to KenPom.

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