Blue Devil Country

Social Media Reacts to Duke's Season-Opening Win Over Texas

The Blue Devils overpowered the Longhorns in the second half in their victory over Texas. How did social media react to the result?
Logan Lazarczyk|
Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer watches the play against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer watches the play against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils struggled at times offensively, but ultimately found a way to generate enough production on that end of the court in their 75-60 win over the Texas Longhorns.

Duke was led by Isaiah Evan (23 points) and Cameron Boozer (15 points and 13 rebounds), with several other players contributing modest numbers.

Here is how social media reacted to the game as events unfolded in the Blue Devils' victory in primetime.

First Half

Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) battles for position against Texas Longhorns forward Nic Codie (10) during the first quarter at the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Sluggish would be an understatement to describe the first five minutes between Duke and Texas on Tuesday night. In that timeframe, the two teams combined to shoot three-of-15 from the field.

It was uninspiring basketball on both sides, leaving fans frustrated at the lackluster performance in a highly-anticipated matchup.

Through the first two media timeouts, it was apparent how different these two teams are from each other. While the Blue Devils settled for threes, attempting nine shots from outside the arc, the Longhorns were focused on limiting Duke's second-chance opportunities, outrebounding Duke 14-4. The control on the glass included seven offensive rebounds for Texas.

Fortunately for the Blue Devils, Evans was lethal from three-point range early, connecting on four of five shots from beyond the arc, sparking a quick 15-2 run for Duke.

By the seven-minute mark, Duke had gained full control, extending its lead to 26-17 after hitting five-of-seven three-point attempts since the first media timeout.

Without Evans, who knows where the Blue Devils would be in the first half? Entering the final media timeout before halftime, Evans had accounted for 14 of the Blue Devils' 29 points. Boozer was held scoreless with less than four minutes remaining in the first half.

Despite shooting 33.3% from the field, Texas led at halftime 33-32 after falling behind by nearly 10 points earlier in the first half.

First Half Takeaways

Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) looks to pass with Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) defending during the first quarter of the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
  • Cameron Boozer struggled from the field, going 0-7 from the field and 0-3 from three-point range.
  • Evans' efficient first half jumpstarted the Blue Devils, as he scored 15 points on seven shots, connecting on five of those field goal attempts. Without the sophomore guard, Duke would be down by double digits.
  • The Longhorns crawled back into the game by dominating the glass. As mentioned earlier, Texas shot 33.3% from the field in the first 20 minutes, but outrebounded Duke 25-11, which included 12 offensive rebounds. The Longhorns' dominance on the boards masked 12 turnovers and the aforementioned low field goal percentage.

Second Half

Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) goes for a lay up against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

The operation was still not pretty, but the Blue Devils jumped out to an 8-0 run - Boozer scoring the first four points - to open the second half, forcing Texas head coach Sean Miller to burn a timeout. Duke would lead 40-33 with a little over 16 minutes remaining.

Through the first nine minutes of the second half, Duke looked more cohesive and organized as an offense. Although the Blue Devils would go through ebbs-and-flows from the field, the ball movement and creativity were present.

For the second time in the contest, Texas was close to letting the game slip away with a 51-41 deficit, but weathered the storm, this time going on a 7-0 run to cut Duke's lead down to one possession.

The Blue Devils would respond with a 8-0 run of their own, re-establishing an 11-point lead with seven minutes remaining.

Entering the under-four timeout, Boozer had established a physical edge against Texas, drawing multiple fouls on his way to the foul line countless times. With 3:43 remaining, Boozer compiled 13 points and 12 rebounds. The freshman forward was underwhelming from the field, shooting 3-of-12.

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Logan Lazarczyk
LOGAN LAZARCZYK

Logan Lazarczyk is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Journalism. He is a general sports reporter with a strong focus on the Duke Blue Devils On SI. Logan joined our team with extensive experience, having previously written and worked for media entities such as USA Today and Union Broadcasting.