NBA Draft: Duke Bigs Show off Skillsets in Louisville Beatdown

Given how competitive the first game was, all eyes were on the second matchup between Duke and Louisville in Monday’s action.

Unfortunately for neutral college basketball fans, the Blue Devils would run away this time around, cruising to an 83-52 beatdown via some draft-worthy performances from their bigs.

Cameron Boozer, as a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, rightfully had the bulk of the attention. Though there were times that Patrick Ngongba II looked the best player on the floor, driving winning impact at all three levels.

Boozer continued to draw the attention of the defense, making his teammates’ lives easier with fast-processing, tenacious rebounding and his typical infusion of interior scoring. He didn’t take the most efficient pathway to get there, but ended the night with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He shot 8-for-16, mostly posting up and making things happen from the paint, though he also took four threes and hit on one.

Cameron Boozer vs Louisville Tonight

19 PTS (8-16 FG, 1-4 3PT)
10 REBS
4 AST

Look if you want a Highlight player draft some else.. if you want a WINNER.. Draft BOOZ… simple… pic.twitter.com/n4vSuUg428
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) January 27, 2026

A few of his assists found Ngongba, who saw one of the better games of his two-year career. A highly-touted freshman, the 6-foot-11 forward played well in spot minutes as a freshman, but has fully broken out as a sophomore.

His 15-point, five-rebound, three-stock game against the Cardinals showed off his impact as a whole. He shot 5-for-8 overall, hitting all five of his free throw attempts on a wildly efficient night. He has premier touch on the inside, and it showed against Louisville.

Ngongba was also able to shine on defense, registering two steals and a block, providing a bulky, albeit steady presence for the Blue Devils on the interior.

On Louisville's end, upperclassman Ryan Conwell was able to showcase his game on the national stage, going for 18 points on 50% shooting, though Mikel Brown Jr. struggled in just his second game back from injury.

Brown shone versus Virginia Tech, scoring 20 points in his return game, but struggled majorly against the Blue Devils. On Monday night, he scored just seven points on 1-for-13 shooting, hitting just one of his seven attempted triples.

A 6-foot-4 lead guard, Brown's claim to fame will be his 3-point shooting and play-making, though little of that was shown as he saw an off-night all around. He struggled to create his own shots, taking several questionable looks amid a competitive game early, and saw just four assists to three turnovers.

Brown's stock won't be hurt majorly by one game so fresh off injury, though it's safe to say the Blue Devil bigs benefitted the most from Monday's showdown.