Duke Basketball Ditches 3-Point Dependency to Tame Tech

Duke basketball encountered a hungry group of unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-5, 0-1 ACC) in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. And after attempting 20 threes across the first 20 minutes of action and connecting on only a half dozen of them, it was no surprise that the No. 6-ranked Blue Devils (12-1, 1-0 ACC) faced a 43-39 halftime deficit to the visiting underdogs.

20 minutes in pic.twitter.com/O1hN8L1GNM
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 31, 2025

Ultimately, though, with what seemed to be a focus on finding more opportunities around the rim, Duke managed to bounce back to the tune of an 85-79 win. It marked the program's 19th consecutive victory in ACC home openers, a streak that dates back to now-fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer's sophomore campaign as a guard in Durham.

Twelve of the Duke basketball squad's first 14 field goal attempts came from 3-point land.

On top of that, the Blue Devils didn't record their first bucket inside the arc until junior point guard Caleb Foster knocked down a jumper over eight minutes into the contest.

Duke's response out of the gates in the second half included resisting the temptation to seek out open looks from deep. In fact, across the first seven minutes in the half, the squad settled for only two 3-point attempts — coming up empty on both — while instead opting for better ball movement that equated to easy baskets, crafty layups, and frequent trips to the charity stripe, leading to a 59-54 advantage with 13 minutes and change left to play.

Cam bucket capped a 7-0 push 💪 pic.twitter.com/or9wnwXMr4
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 31, 2025

A Twins-Powered Duke Basketball Starting Five

Freshman power forward and ACC Player of the Year frontrunner Cameron Boozer finished the bout with a game-high 26 points to go along with his 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals in his team-high 38 minutes. He shot 8-for-15 from the field, 3-for-5 beyond the arc, and 6-for-9 at the foul line.

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Meanwhile, drawing the first start of his Blue Devil career, rookie floor general Cayden Boozer totaled 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Duke basketball versus the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets — Dec 31, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Lamar Washington (1) controls the ball in front of Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2)during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

It was the first time that a Duke basketball starting lineup has included a pair of brothers since Mason and Miles Plumlee achieved that feat during the 2010-11 season. Plus, it was the first time twins have been starters together for the Blue Devils since Cedric and Garland Loftis did so way back in 1942-43.

Three other Duke players reached double-digit points: sophomore wing Isaiah Evans (17 points, five rebounds, three steals), junior point guard Caleb Foster (12 points, four assists), and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba (11 points, nine rebounds, two blocks).

The Blue Devils will now gear up for back-to-back ACC road bouts. They face the unranked Florida State Seminoles (7-7, 0-1 ACC) at 3:45 p.m. ET Saturday (CBS) before squaring off against the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (11-2, 1-0 ACC) at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

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