Worrisome Concerns for Duke Despite Win Over Kansas

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 78-66 on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.

On face value, it appears that the Blue Devils comfortably defeated Kansas, but that was far from the truth, as it was a close game in the final minutes.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) slaps hands with d7#2 after a basket against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Now, by all means, the sky is not falling, and in the end, it was a win against one of the blue bloods in college basketball, but there are some worrisome concerns from Duke's perspective.

Despite the win, here are some things to take into account from the Blue Devils' victory over Kansas on Tuesday.

Kansas Stuck Around Without Best Player

Nov 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) dribbles as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Both of these teams are the youngest and rawest squads in the entire country, and are led by superstar talents in Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer.

Unfortunately for Kansas, Peterson was forced to miss his third consecutive game due to a hamstring strain. Peterson, who is projected to be selected within the top three picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, is averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.

That production was absent from the Jayhawks' backcourt, which led to the Blue Devils entering the contest as double-digit favorites.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Despite that being the case, Kansas found itself down by three points with five minutes left in the game. Duke had its full complement of healthy and available pieces for the historic matchup. Could the Jayhawks be better than what many expected this season? Absolutely. But without its clear-cut best player, Kansas had an opportunity to steal an impressive win while being short-handed.

A win is a win, and this is not a call to sell your Duke stock, but the performance was not as impressive as the final score indicates.

Cameron Boozer Struggles Against Another Formidable Opponent

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) looks to pass against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Boozer is only a freshman and has only played in five collegiate games in his young career, but his resume consists of two underwhelming performances against legitimate programs.

The statistical output indicates that the star freshman has been utterly unstoppable, but the shooting efficiency tells us otherwise. In the three games against Western Carolina, Army, and Indiana State, Boozer averaged 25 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 25-of-39 from the field (64.1%) and 7-of-16 from beyond the arc (43.7%).

Nov 14, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) is greeted by teammates after scoring during the second half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, against Kansas and Texas - who we consider as top-end basketball programs - Boozer is averaging 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, but the shot-making ability has been underwhelming. In those two outings, Boozer has shot 10-of-29 from the field (34.4%), including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc (12.5%).

This does not mean that Boozer will struggle throughout the season. It has only been five career games, but the expected-to-be top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has to play better against top-flight opponents, which will be a common scenario with ACC play starting next month.

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