What we learned as No. 4 Duke rolled to 100-62 victory over Indiana State
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- Duke beat Indiana State 100-62 as Cameron Boozer led with 35 points, 12 rebounds.
- Patrick Ngongba emerged as a reliable interior option, contributing scoring and defense.
- Nikolas Khamenia and role players supplied hustle, rebounds, passing and tough defense.
Carlos Boozer had a courtside seat 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, freshmen 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 played big for Duke (4-0). His totals this night: 35 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, three blocks and three steals. He had 23 points in the first half as he made nine of his 10 shots from the field – he rebounded his one miss – while Duke took a 51-32 lead. He closed the game 13-of-16 from the field in playing 29 minutes.
Boozer did bring his dad out of his seat and to his feet late in the opening half. He knocked the ball away at the top of the key for a steal, took off down the court, threw in a quick behind-the-back dribble and then finished with a two-hand slam. This from a guy 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds.
“I wanted to focus on the right things, like defense, rebounding, pressure on the ball,” Boozer said. “When I’m doing those things, focusing on those things, the other things naturally happen.”
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 got in the game against the Sycamores (2-2) for another 40 minutes of work before the trip.
“Cam Boozer had a special night,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “To me, it was about his approach. He’s such a competitor. He didn’t love the way he played at Army and he came back so determined.
“I think this was a really good game for us. I think there were some really good things we did. I think we’ve gotten a little bit better each game and each game presented different challenges -- Indiana State tonight with their offense.”
The Sycamores were 6-for-17 on 3-pointers in the first half but 3-of-13 in the second, closing at 36.1 percent overall from the field. The Blue Devils had 23 points off Indiana State’s 18 turnovers and had 30-plus defensive deflections, Scheyer said.
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 Cameron Boozer. But Boozer, a manchild of a player who’s a lot more man than child, also figures 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 inside 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, banging 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.
“He’s the key to the team,” Duke’s Caleb Foster said. “Blocking the rim, the way he can shoot, he can do it all for us this year.”
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, again.
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.
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 3’s in taking a 14-4 lead that briefly had Cameron quieted.
“They really tested our defense,” Scheyer said. “They play with great spacing, great pace. They do a good job screening and attack whatever defense you’re playing.
“For us, right away, we got punched in the face and our defense wasn’t what it needed to be. I thought it was great for us to respond, and we did that.”
The Devils had too much firepower for Indiana State, which went with a man-to-man look on defense but also threw some matchup zone at the Blue Devils. 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.
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 9:14 PM with the headline "What we learned as No. 4 Duke rolled to 100-62 victory over Indiana State."
