No. 4 Duke rolls to 100-62 victory over Indiana State

DURHAM, N.C. — Carlos Boozer had a seat at courtside Friday for No. 4 Duke’s game against Indiana State at Cameron Indoor Stadium,

The former Blue Devils star clapped for each Duke basket, free throw, rebound, hustle play … you name it. And not just for his twin sons, Cameron and Cayden Boozer.

Carlos Boozer had a lot to clap about Friday. The Blue Devils, shaking off a slow start in the opening minutes, cranked up the intensity and rolled to a 100-62 victory.

Cameron Boozer again was a headliner for Duke (4-0). His totals this night: 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals. He had 23 points in the first half as the freshman made nine of his 10 shots from the field — he rebounded his one miss — and took a 51-32 lead. He closed the game 13 of 16 from the field.

Boozer did bring his dad out of his seat and to his feet late in the opening half. He knocked the ball away near midcourt for a steal, took off down the court, threw in a quick behind-the-back dribble and finished with a two-hand slam that threatened to bring the rim down. This from a guy 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds.

After all the emotion and nostalgia of the basketball trip to West Point, a poignant return for former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils were back in Cameron. Ahead is a Tuesday matchup against Kansas in New York’s Madison Square Garden, but the Blue Devils squeezed in the game against the Sycamores (2-2) for another 40 minutes of work before the trip.

Here’s what we learned from the latest Duke win.

Ngongba could be Duke’s X-factor

It’s not a stretch to say that the X-factor for Duke this season could be the play of Patrick Ngongba II.

Despite the departure of Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach to the NBA after last season, the Blue Devils realized they could rely on the inside strength of freshman Cameron Boozer. But Boozer also figured to see a lot of double teams and collapsing defenses.

In the game at Army this week, Ngongba had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Blue Devils to a 55-point victory at West Point. The sophomore is capable of that. Maybe not every night, against better big men, but he is capable of it.

The Blue Devils don’t hesitate to take the 3 and can attack the basket off the dribble. Big Boozer will always been the first option inside. But Ngongba must have a presence in the paint, a second option, if you will.

Ngongba can pass. His give-and-go with Maliq Brown in the second half gave Brown an easy dunk.

Defensively, Ngongba can hold his own, one on one. The Sycamores’ Markus Harding, listed at 6-10 and 255 pounds, tried to back Ngongba down in the lane, backing into him. But Ngongba gave it back and Harding took a bad shot that missed.

Later in the second half, Derek Vorst, a 6-10, 250-pound senior, did the same. With the same result as Ngongba got a piece of Vorst’s shot.

Khamenia gets dirty work done

It’s been said before but Nikolas Khamenia is willing to do a lot of the dirty work for the Devils, spending considerable time skidding across the court to do it.

The freshman from California does not start but makes the most of his minutes. He positions well for rebounds, whether offensive or defensive. He always seems to be around the ball. He can shoot the outside jumper, and will, but also can put the ball on the floor and take it to the rim.

In the second half, Khamenia’s block of a Harding shot inside was called a foul. When the replay was shown on the big board — Khamenia got mostly ball in contesting — the Crazies went a bit crazy, booing the call even more loudly.

Khamenia, who had nine points, six rebounds and five assists, always goes full tilt. In the final minutes he was chasing after a loose ball and barreled over Bruno Alocen like a linebacker flattening a running back. It was a foul, again, but off a hustle play.

Sycamores made it interesting early

Coaches always tell their players to ignore the outside “noise.” That includes those Vegas betting services that like to set the game odds.

One of the Vegas sites had Indiana State a 44-point underdog, Others had it more like 38 points. You get the idea.

All that meant was after the first four minutes of the game, those who wagered on the Sycamores had 54 or 48 points to play with, depending on the betting service. Indiana State came out shooting and making, nailing four early 3s in taking a 14-4 lead that briefly had Cameron quieted.

Not for long, of course. The Devils had too much firepower and eventually ignited against a team that moved the ball well and were gritty on defense. Indiana State went with a man-to-man look on defense but also threw some matchup zone at the Blue Devils, but the Sycamores had to deal with wave after wave of fresh talent coming on the floor.

The Sycamores, 14-18 last season, are playing without head coach Matt Graves, who had heart surgery in October and has taken a leave of absence. Associate head coach Mark Slessinger, who coached New Orleans from 2012-2024, has taken over in Graves’ absence.