Duke men’s basketball associate head coach Jai Lucas recently left the program after being announced as Miami’s new head coach. The Blue Zone discusses the potential impact of losing Lucas on the Blue Devils’ quest for a sixth national championship.
Duke’s chances to advance become more difficult without its leader in every major category and its stalwart defender whose praises are sung by every member of his team. But the Blue Devils’ 78-70 win against Georgia Tech Thursday showcased a path to success.
John Feinstein, an author, journalist and Duke alumnus, died Thursday morning.
In the Blue Devils’ 78-70 win against Georgia Tech Thursday, an injury to freshman Cooper Flagg meant the game hardly felt like a victory.
No. 1 Duke men’s basketball opens its ACC Tournament slate with a quarterfinal contest against Georgia Tech. After 20 minutes of play, the Blue Devils trail the Yellow Jackets 31-26.
After a remarkable run through the ACC Tournament that finished with Duke women’s basketball’s first conference championship under head coach Kara Lawson, the Blue Zone is taking a look at the stretch with a key player, word and stat from the games.
Duke men’s basketball has climbed to the No. 1 spot for the first time this season in this week’s AP Poll, following two secure victories and chaos in other conferences. The Blue Zone is here to break down the drastic shifts in the rankings and what they mean heading into conference tournaments.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, the ACC announced its season awards Monday afternoon, and the Blue Devils are adding some more hardware to their trophy case.
Lawson's signature tenacity never left her players’ faces in Duke’s matchups with Notre Dame Saturday and N.C. State Sunday, and the hustle plays that Lawson preaches above all else became the Blue Devils’ key to their first ACC championship since 2013.
Duke men’s basketball officially secured the No. 1 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament after the team’s defeat of North Carolina. The Blue Zone breaks down the Blue Devils’ potential path to a record-extending 23rd ACC Tournament title.
That’s what made Saturday’s 82-69 win so remarkable for the Blue Devils. It wasn’t the grand, season-saving spectacle the Tar Heels hoped for, needed and often threatened to deliver, but another comfortable Duke win in a sea of 27 others. A garnish on the dish rather than the dish itself.
Almost exactly a year ago, the Blue Devils lost to the Wolfpack in the ACC quarterfinals. A month ago, they again lost to N.C. State behind 36 points from Aziaha James. This time though, not even James’ heroics could stop Duke from winning its first ACC championship under head coach Kara Lawson. Twenty-two points from both junior Ashlon Jackson and sophomore Oluchi Okananwa paved the way for the Blue Devils as they took down the top-seeded Wolfpack 76-62.
While North Carolina kept it interesting, Duke escaped its rival on the road, closing out the regular season with a 82-69 win. Four of Duke’s starters finished with double digits, and the visitors demolished the Tar Heels on the glass 39-26. The win was head coach Jon Scheyer’s second in the Dean E. Smith Center, and his second time sweeping North Carolina in the regular season — he did both in his first year as the Blue Devils’ head coach.
No. 2 Duke looks to lock up the ACC regular-season title on the road against a hot North Carolina team. After 20 minutes of play in a packed Dean E. Smith Center, the Blue Devils hold a slim 43-42 lead.
In one of the proudest moments of the Kara Lawson era, No. 3-seed Duke women’s basketball earned a 61-56 upset victory over No. 2-seed Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament semifinals Saturday. Sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa scored 14 points, and the Blue Devils outrebounded the Fighting Irish 38 to 26 to advance to the ACC Championship.
For the second time this season, Duke will take on that team down the road in a rivalry bout. This time around, the Tar Heels come in with a winning streak and something to prove, while the Blue Devils are chasing an outright ACC regular season title. The Chronicle's beats break down the matchup with their predictions.
This is not the same Duke team that started the season. It’s not even the same team from three weeks ago. With the postseason underway, head coach Kara Lawson’s bunch is hitting its stride — just at the right time
To better understand the 2024-25 Blue Devils, as well as the remainder of the NCAA Tournament field, let’s dive into the team sheet and all the metrics utilized by the tournament’s selection committee to build a field of 68.
In their first ACC Tournament game this season, the third-seeded Blue Devils secured a 61-48 victory to knock No. 6-seed Louisville out of the bracket. The veteran-rookie duo of junior Ashlon Jackson and freshman Toby Fournier bolstered the team's score as junior Taina Mair initiated critical shifts on the defensive end — leading Duke’s stat sheet with three steals and four defensive rebounds.
With Duke hurtling towards the postseason, the Blue Zone takes a look at what it will take for the Blue Devils to make a run through the ACC Tournament.
