When Duke walked off the court at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., March 18, only eight players saw the floor in the team’s 65-52 second-round loss to Tennessee in the NCAA tournament. There were just three players who reached double-digit scoring, and the team shot just 42.9% from the field.
Seven-and-a-half months later, in the second-ranked Blue Devils’ 109-64 exhibition win against UNC Pembroke, 13 different athletes competed on Coach K Court. Six of those individuals racked up double-digits as Duke put in a performance that can only be described as dominant. In an exhibition match that is telling of what’s to come, the Blue Devils sent an emphatic message to the rest of the college basketball world — their roster runs deep with threats at every position on the floor.
“They all can score,” said head coach Jon Scheyer after the game. “I wouldn’t be surprised if any one of them were a leading scorer for us in a different game.”
There was something different about the rarified air of Cameron Indoor Stadium when Duke took the court. That something special became clear just 25 seconds in when sophomore captain Tyrese Proctor stepped up to the 3-point line and drained a shot. Then he hit another. And another. And another.
While the veteran guard was off to a hot start, it wasn’t until the rest of the players got going that the team began to look collectively dangerous. Freshman guard Jared McCain began to rack up points as senior Jeremy Roach pulled out his signature midrange jumper and Kyle Filipowski bodied his way to a layup. However, the realization of how good this team can be hit the Cameron Crazies when the bench players made an appearance. Less than 30 seconds after entering the contest, freshman Sean Stewart made a cut toward the rim. Classmate Caleb Foster lobbed the ball up to him, where the Windermere, Fla., slammed it down for an emphatic dunk that showcased just how elite this squad’s chemistry can be.
“I think it’s scary in my opinion,” Proctor said. “Any night, any guy can go off.”
Going into halftime up 59-24, there was not much more the Blue Devils needed to do to put the game away. And yet, they just couldn’t stop scoring from all over the floor.
The Duke faithful practically couldn’t keep up as Filipowski earned a signature dunk off a no-look pass from Proctor before sophomore Mark Mitchell drained an effortless three on a fast break. Then, freshman TJ Power got in on the action after tallying a three as Foster followed suit with a layup. Soon enough, Stewart was executing a beautiful spinning shot that had Cameron Indoor roaring with applause. Everywhere on the court, players were putting up points that contributed to the team’s 53.4% shooting from the field.
“Offensively we just have so much firepower,” McCain said.
Even with a smaller lineup after the loss of center Dereck Lively II to the NBA, the Blue Devils were able to execute with precision due to their depth in the backcourt and off the bench. The three starting guards — McCain, Roach and Proctor — combined for 43 of the team’s eventual 109 points, while the substitutes racked up 38 tallies of their own.
“The team may be a little smaller on the court than we were last year, but I think there’s a lot of good offensive weapons that can come off of that,” Filipowski said.
For a squad that will quickly come face-to-face with the likes of Arizona, Michigan State and Arkansas — all ranked teams — the ability to execute shots like it did Wednesday will be essential to victory. Fortunately for Duke, its roster seems to have shooters in spades. Outstanding production among starters is one thing, but to have a deep bench that can maintain scoring is a luxury few collegiate programs can boast.
Scoring more than 100 points for the first time since November 2021, this Blue Devil team has something special on offense. As Duke prepares to square off against Dartmouth Monday in its first regular-season game, one thing is for certain — there will not be one name at the top of the scouting report; there will be many.
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Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity junior and associate editor for The Chronicle's 120th volume.