The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team brought its home opener at Cameron Indoor Stadium to life with a dominant 95-54 win over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday afternoon in Durham. While the margin of victory was comfortable and many of the early signs encouraging, head coach Jon Scheyer and his squad remain focused on improvement — particularly from beyond the arc — as they continue to build chemistry and consistency.
From the opening whistle, Duke made clear its intent to show growth from its season opener. The Blue Devils raced out to a commanding 45-21 lead at halftime, holding Western Carolina to just 20.6 % shooting (7-34) in the first twenty minutes. A key run early in the game featured Duke holding its opponent scoreless for nearly seven minutes and erupting with a 17-point stretch, setting the tone for the afternoon.
Freshman forward Cameron Boozer stole the spotlight with a 25-point performance, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing five assists in just 23 minutes of action. His twin brother, freshman guard/forward Cayden Boozer, came off the bench to add 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, providing a strong supporting cast. Meanwhile, juniors such as Maliq Brown and sophomore Patrick Ngongba II each reached double figures (10 points apiece) and reinforced the depth this team is developing.
On the defensive end, Duke showcased tangible improvement. The effort to tighten up and apply pressure consistently was evident, as the Blue Devils limited their opponent’s opportunities, forced turnovers and controlled the glass. The team also outpaced Western Carolina in bench scoring 42–8 and used a fast-break advantage 20–8. These adjustments were exactly of the type Coach Scheyer emphasized. After the opener, he wanted to see a more consistent defensive presence — and Sunday’s performance answered that call.
Yet for all the positives, Duke still found areas to sharpen. Most notably: Three-point shooting. The Blue Devils connected on only 10 of 32 attempts from deep (31.3%). Their starters were a combined 1-for-11 in that category during the first half, which stands out in an era where outside shooting can tilt big games. Even though the interior scoring and defense compensated this time, the margin for error shrinks when you face tougher competition. Coach Scheyer and his staff were candid about this — the team knows that knocking down perimeter shots will be critical if they are going to take the next step.
Part of what makes the progress so promising is the chemistry beginning to unfold. Duke’s roster features a mix of talented freshmen, capable returners and emerging bench contributors. The interplay among these players improved markedly against Western Carolina. Improvisation, transition play, and willingness to share the ball (reflected in multiple players’ assist totals) all pointed toward a group settling in. The result: an efficient 46.9 % shooting effort overall. Of course, the season is long and full of challenges — but if the Blue Devils keep building this way, they’ll be in strong position.
Coach Scheyer deserves credit for the adjustments and mindset. Since taking the helm, he has shown the ability to steer this program through transitions and get buy-in from young players. The ability to deliver improvement game-to-game — as evidenced by the sharper defense and more fluid movement on offense — is a hallmark of his leadership. That said, the coach has underscored that this win, while impressive, is just one step on a longer path.
Looking ahead, Duke knows the schedule will toughen. Sunday’s comfortable win is a good platform, but the “next step” is to translate this dominance into consistency, especially as the competition ratchets up in conference play. The emphasis will likely be on cleaning up turnovers, improving spacing and three-point efficiency, and maintaining the defensive mindset even when shots aren’t falling. In this game, Duke had stretches where offensive execution lagged, a reminder that elite teams minimize those flat moments.
In sum: The Blue Devils showed real signs of promise in their home opener. Between the roster’s balance of young talent and experienced contributors, the defensive improvement, and the energy in Cameron Indoor, the signs are bright. But the size of that win also means that expectations will rise — and Duke must meet them. If the team can tighten up the long-range shot, keep building chemistry and maintain the intensity on defense, there’s every reason to believe they’ll take meaningful strides this season.
Coach Scheyer emphasized in his post-game comments that growth is still the name of the game. The framework is in place: talented roster, strong coaching, steep but achievable goals. If Duke can continue to elevate the deep-game shooting to match the defensive prowess and interior scoring, it won’t just win games like this — it will profile as a team capable of making a deeper run. The journey begins here, in front of a fired-up home crowd, with the promise of more to come.
