Sizzling Duke Basketball Squad Sinks Louisville Yet Again

After briefly trailing the Cardinals in the first half, Duke basketball put the pedal to the metal in Cameron.

Jan 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Isaiah Evans (3) reacts after scoring during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Jon Scheyer's fourth Duke basketball squad defeated the Louisville Cardinals for the second time this month, as the Blue Devils extended the program's home winning streak to 27 games via an 83-52 victory in front of a notably energized Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd on Monday night.

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Outside of a cold stretch from three, the No. 4 Blue Devils (19-1, 8-0 ACC) were scorching hot more often than they have been of late in the first half. They jumped out to a 15-7 less than five minutes into the contest. And after allowing the No. 20 Cardinals (14-6, 4-4 ACC) to crawl back and seize the lead at 25-24 with 4:30 remaining on the clock before the break, Duke closed out the half on a 14-3 run en route to taking a 38-28 lead in to the locker room.

beautiful basketball pic.twitter.com/nOQ1AAUAcG

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 27, 2026

Blue Devil sophomore Isaiah Evans, who poured in 23 points in Duke's 84-73 win at Louisville back on Jan. 6, led all scorers in the first half on Monday night. The "Showtime Slim" wing from Fayetteville, N.C., tallied 13 points across the first 20 minutes of action, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, 2-for-6 from downtown, and 3-for-3 at the foul line.

⏱️⏱️⏱️⏱️ pic.twitter.com/9U2hcUNzHl

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 27, 2026

Louisville Left With No Answers to Duke Basketball Dominance in Second Half

Duke basketball came out of the break on a tear, outscoring Louisville, 8-2, across the first two minutes of the second half. That stretch forced a quick timeout by second-year Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey.

Jan 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) drives to the basket as Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) defends during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

And the Blue Devils didn't let off the gas one bit after that. A 3-point splash by freshman forward Nikolas Khamenia increased Duke's lead to 19 at 60-41 with 12:26 to play, and Kelsey burned another timeout.

Khamenia, who went scoreless in the first half, was key in helping the Blue Devils cushion their lead the rest of the way. The Los Angeles native poured in 11 of his 14 points during one six-minute stretch midway through the half. Plus, he added two rebounds and one steal in his 15 total minutes on the floor.

Nik has 10 of our last 12‼️ pic.twitter.com/lxu39TiUuT

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 27, 2026

Three more Duke players ended up with double digits in the scoring column: Isaiah Evans (15 points, four rebounds), freshman power forward Cameron Boozer (19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists), and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II (15 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block).

The Blue Devils will now prepare for a weekend road trip. Duke, riding an eight-game winning streak and sitting alone atop the ACC standings, is set to square off against the unranked Virginia Tech Hokies (15-6, 4-4 ACC), including former Blue Devil guard Jaden Schutt, in Cassell Coliseum at noon ET Saturday (ESPN).

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