LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When Isaac McNeely's contested 3-pointer ricocheted off the rim and onto Duke Lady Sarr With just under 14 minutes remaining in the Blue Devils' 84-73 victory over Louisville on Tuesday, Cardinals coach Pat Kelce turned and slammed both hands on the table behind him.
Kelsey watched a potential win slip away from the Cardinals and had to vent some frustration. Duke outscored Louisville 14-6 in the second half and methodically took control of the ACC showdown, which the Cardinals once led by 12.
Just 15 seconds later, the defensively resurgent Blue Devils took their first lead en route to a victory that firmly established No. 6 Duke at the top of the conference hierarchy.
The No. 20 Cardinals, who started 7 of 10 from 3-point range and ignited the crowd of 17,656, cooled off in the second half. By the two-minute mark, Louisville fans were streaming to the exits, resigned to the fact that Duke had extended its winning streak in the series to eight.
Star Freshman Cameron Boozer turned in another dominant performance with 27 points and eight rebounds to lead the Blue Devils, with coach John Scheyer quick to remark that “what he does is incredible.”
But as great as Boozer was, and as great as the 43 points from the supporting duo Isaiah Evans And Caleb Foster There were, Tuesday's result stood out completely different.
Duke's defense, which had endured its worst period since Scheyer, regained its identity.
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“They were as explosive as any offense we've played this season,” Scheyer said. “There is no doubt about it. The game really came down to, I thought our defense in the second half was amazing.”
Duke's return to origins
Duke's 11-0 start ranked sixth in defensive efficiency. But something changed in the second half of the match, when the team lost with a score of 82-81. Texas Tech Dec. 20, when the Red Raiders shot an impressive 62.1% to close a 17-point deficit.
The poor defense continued in uncomfortably close wins over projected ACC bottom feeders. Georgia Tech And Florida over the past week. The three games marked the first time since February 2009 that Duke allowed three consecutive opponents to shoot 53% or better.
“We got through it,” Scheyer said, adding that the Blue Devils spent Monday working on “basic defensive drills” to re-establish good habits.
“Protect the ball, move with the ball and stay in your stance,” Scheier explained, listing principles that could also be taught at Scheier's summer youth camps.
Even after getting back to basics, Louisville's first half was about the same as a sniper Ryan Conwell made his first three three-pointers. Then the backup center Aly Khalifa enjoyed making his first three 3-pointers as the Cardinals opened up a 26-14 lead.
That's when Boozer put his foot down. The Duke freshman phenom responded with a quick 3-pointer and scored 10 points in 8 minutes to help the Blue Devils stay in touch.
“He just blew us away in the first half,” Scheyer said. “If he had not done this, the situation could have gotten out of control.”
The newly settled Blue Devils regrouped at halftime and showed why they should be considered a Tier 1 threat to win the national championship.
Unsung Heroes
The trio of Boozer, Evans and Foster combined to give Duke a flawless 70.8% shooting percentage in the second half. But the offense is nothing new for the Blue Devils, and Louisville's defensive vulnerabilities haven't been much of a revelation.
That's why, just as he praised his star trio for their work, Scheier also paid tribute to Dame Sarr and Malik Brown. The duo combined for just six points off the bench, but they played a critical role in slowing Louisville's offense to a crawl.
A Cardinals team that shot 10 of 21 from 3-point range in the first half shot just 2 of 17 after the break, and it wasn't because they suddenly forgot how to shoot. The clear looks that were plentiful in the first half evaporated in Louisville's favor as Duke expanded its defense, became more active and allowed the perimeter-oriented Cardinals to try to score inside the arc. Sarr and Brown led the attack.
“They're two of the best defenders I've ever faced,” Boozer said. “What they do for our team may not show up in the score. But you definitely feel it throughout the game.”
The strong defensive effort came with a caveat as Louisville's freshman star and offensive maestro Mikel Brown Jr.. missed his fifth straight game with a back injury. But given how strong Louisville was in the first half without Brown, there was a lot to be learned from Duke's defensive effort in the second half.
Conwell, who got to his spots at will in the first half, finished 0-for-4 from deep in the second half.
“With a guy like him, you want to make him work,” Scheyer said. “I think the first two threes he hit were clean. So that wasn't good. That was on me, not our guys. That was on me. But I thought it was just the fight, the discipline that made him score more… I think it had more to do with the fight and the effort of Dame, Caleb and Isaiah in the second half to really defend.”
More challenges await the ACC, which has more teeth in 2026 than it did last season when Duke went 19-1 in league play. While the Blue Devils pulled off perhaps their toughest task in conference play by defeating the Cardinals, they can't rest on their laurels. Next test is Saturday Vs. SMUwhich is the highest-ranked offensive team in the league not named Duke or Louisville. Mustangs hung 97 on North Carolina last weekend.
But Duke took a big step back in the right direction against Louisville. Boozer had an incredible game. This is to be expected at this point.
Less obvious, especially after the first half, was whether the defense would return for the first time in weeks. It happened, and the Blue Devils showed off their championship potential in the process.
“We did some things in the second half that I thought was Duke's defense,” Scheyer said. “How can we build on that and stay true to who we are and what has made us really good so far?”
