Let’s take a look at how some of the top recruits in Duke’s football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball recruiting classes of 2025 are performing in their final seasons at the high school level.
During Sunday’s 74-49 win against Stanford, Thomas was the anchor Duke needed. The Blue Devils were facing one of the best forwards in the conference, Nunu Agara. Coming into the matchup, Agara was averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting at a 49.8% clip.
The Blue Devils hosted Stanford in the program’s first year as members of the ACC and sans Cameron Brink, giving the visitors a resounding 74-49 welcome.
During the winter season, The Chronicle is polling its readers every week via its Sportswrap newsletter to highlight one Blue Devil athlete’s outstanding performance. This week’s spotlight goes to Oluchi Okananwa of Duke women's basketball.
It was supposed to be more of a nail-biter — two top-20 teams competing against each other for the first time since 2013. But No. 16 Duke completely shut down No. 18 Cal, coming away with a 72-38 victory in a game that was characterized by the Blue Devils’ methodical defense — and even reminded Lawson of her days at Tennessee.
No. 16 Duke was tasked with slowing down a red-hot, No. 18-ranked Cal squad in Cameron Indoor Stadium. By the end of Thursday’s contest, the Blue Devils clearly emerged as the more complete and disciplined team, securing a dominant 72-38 win in front of a rambunctious crowd.
NCAA membership green-lighted the creation of a women’s performance fund Wednesday evening by unanimous vote. The payment system will take full effect for the 2025 tournament.
No. 16 Duke women’s basketball will take on No. 18 Cal in a key ranked matchup Thursday. The Blue Zone is here with an overview of the Golden Bears and three keys to a Blue Devil victory.
Regardless of any early deficit, the Blue Devils play with a sort of resilient energy that becomes infectious when they gain momentum. In all of their defeats, however, this brand of basketball was not enough to overcome their first-half woes. Save for its matchup against perennial top-dog South Carolina, Duke’s losses appear self-inflicted rather than a result of a disparity in talent and skill.
Duke emerged with a 60-55 victory over the Cavaliers in John Paul Jones Arena Sunday afternoon. Sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa sparked the Blue Devils’ resurgence with 17 points on 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and junior guard Ashlon Jackson contributed 11.
Duke has struggled getting off to quick starts on offense at points this season, mostly notably in its loss to South Florida a few weeks ago, and Thursday’s matchup was an amalgamation of that weakness. Everything that the Blue Devils did so well against Pittsburgh — bench points, points in transition, second-chance points — felt stilted against North Carolina.
With North Carolina winning three years in a row at home, the Tar Heels kept their streak alive after a high-intensity 53-46 win.
Duke women’s basketball takes on archrival North Carolina Thursday in a matchup between two top 20 teams. The Chronicle previews the encounter with an overview, key stat, X-Factor and keys to the game.
In order to compensate for Fournier’s presence on offense and defense, head coach Kara Lawson needed others to step up. Luckily for her, Duke’s sophomore class, which has steadily grown together for a year and a half now, were instrumental in the Blue Devils’ dominant 69-31 victory over Pittsburgh.
After spending the holidays on the road, Duke returned to Durham for a conference clash, cruising to a 69-31 victory over the Panthers. Reigan Richardson led the Blue Devils in scoring with 13 points on the outing, and sophomore Delaney Thomas chipped in with 10.
Luckily for Lawson’s squad, this was just the beginning of a long stretch in the ACC. The Blue Devils have 16 upcoming games against some of the best teams in the country during conference play,and will have many more opportunities to hone their team into the weapon it can be this postseason.
On a chilly January night in Conte Forum, No. 14 Duke showed no rust after nearly two weeks off, as it cruised to an 86-59 win over Boston College.
No. 14 Duke women’s basketball is off to a strong start in its 2024-25 campaign. Before the Blue Devils kick off the rest of their ACC slate Jan. 2, The Chronicle’s beat writers are here to answer questions about the team’s performance thus far and keys to a successful second half.
At No. 7, Duke women’s basketball entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7-seed. Head coach Kara Lawson continued to improve her team’s postseason finish in each of her first three years, leading the team to a Sweet 16 appearance after an impressive second round win at Ohio State.
As winter sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is our basketball edition, including a section on the common cheers for Duke's home fans.
