Duke Will Learn From Defensive Mistakes

The Duke Blue Devils were shocked last Saturday in a showdown against Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils fell short by a point to the Red Raiders by a score of 81-80. This result gives Duke their first loss of the season. It was a shocker because of the way it happened.

Duke started slow once again for the second game in a row, but they were able to regroup, and then the defense became a problem. Duke had a big lead but gave it away, then it turned into a back-and-forth game that they could not come out on top in the end.

Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer coaches 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 Defense was Huge Issue in First Season Loss

Duke has shown all season that they could improve from their mistakes from their previous game. They did not do that against Texas Tech. Earlier this week, Duke started off slow in their game at home and had to use a second-half surge to win that one.

But against a better team like Texas Tech, you could not do that. Texas Tech took full advantage of the Blue Devils' sloppy play to begin the game, and that is also how they got back into the game.

Duke prides themselves on being a tough team, and they are. On the defensive end of the floor, they just could not figure it out against Texas Tech. They could not get the stops when they needed them the most. Duke has been good for most of the season on that side of the floor, but it was the first time you actually saw this team not being able to stop a good offense.

Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) fights for the ball against Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) and forward Cameron Boozer (12) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"For most of Saturday, it appeared Duke would take its undefeated record into Christmas and potentially a lot longer. Instead, Texas Tech surged back from 17 points down (with a minimum win probability of just 2.2% per KenPom) in the second half to beat the Blue Devils in an 82–81 thriller," said Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated.

"Washington State transfer LeJuan Watts continues to emerge. He followed up a 36-point outburst earlier this week with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists against the Blue Devils, bullying his way to the rim at will to lift the Red Raiders offense to by far the best performance any team has put on against Duke’s vaunted defense this season. If Watts consistently emerges as the third scorer, Tech will be a very tough out in Big 12 play."

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