Duke’s Jaylen Blakes (2) hits a three-pointer as Dartmouth’s Dusan Neskovic (3) defends during the first half of Duke’s game against Dartmouth at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
Ethan Hyman
ehyman@newsobserver.com
Durham
No. 2 Duke started the season with a lopsided win, routing Dartmouth, 92-54, at Cameron Indoor Stadium despite not having one of its four returning starters available.
His absence didn’t slow the Blue Devils (1-0) against the Ivy League’s Big Green (0-1), but Duke certainly will need him when it plays No. 12 Arizona on Friday night at Cameron.
Against Dartmouth, preseason All-American forward Kyle Filipowski scored 25 points on 10 of 12 shooting to lead the Blue Devils. Senior Jeremy Roach added 14 points with three assists.
Duke won its 17th consecutive home game, remaining unbeaten at Cameron with Jon Scheyer, in his second season as head coach.
Duke’s Ryan Young (15) pulls in the rebound from Dartmouth’s Jayden Williams (22) during the second half of Duke’s 92-54 victory over Dartmouth at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Lineup adjustment
With Mitchell unavailable, Duke used a bigger lineup, with 6-10 graduate student center Ryan Young getting the start along with the 7-foot Filipowski down low. They were joined by senior guard Jeremy Roach, sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor and freshman guard Jared McCain.
Christian Reeves, the 7-1 sophomore who only appeared in 13 games last season, was one of the first two players off the bench as he moved up in the interior rotation. Reeves played 4:23 of the first half as Duke built a 42-21 lead.
Young played 20 minutes, scoring two points with seven rebounds. Reeves wound up playing 12 minutes. He scored two points with three rebounds.
“For Christian,” Scheyer said, “he has to rebound. That’s a big thing. But for him, with his size and length, he’s really showed some flashes in practice.”
Duke’s Caleb Foster (1) drives between Dartmouth’s Jaren Johnson (5) and Jayden Williams (22) during the first half of Duke’s game against Dartmouth at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Guards in foul trouble
Duke’s three starting guards, Proctor, Roach and Proctor, all picked up two fouls in the first half. That caused Scheyer to dip into his backcourt depth early.
Junior Jaylen Blakes and freshman Caleb Foster both saw plenty of first-half playing time as Scheyer used the two of them to spell the foul-plagued starters. The 6-5 Foster played 14 minutes, 52 seconds of the first half while the 6-2 Blakes played 8:09.
McCain quickly picked up his third and fourth fouls over the first four minutes of the second half before eventually fouling out with 6:10 to play. As a result, he played just 15 minutes in his collegiate debut, finishing with eight points.
Duke’s Jared McCain (0) heads to the basket during the second half of Duke’s 92-54 victory over Dartmouth at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Foster had a stronger debut that McCain, scoring 15 points in his 29 minutes of play. He did so without committing a turnover.
Blakes played effectively, showing once again the steadiness that earned him two starting assignments among his 32 games played last season. Against Dartmouth, Blakes finished with 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting in 20 minutes of play.
One perimeter player who surprisingly didn’t play was sophomore Jaden Schutt. But that’s because Duke has plans to redshirt the 6-5 shooting guard this season.
“He’s in great standing with me, nothing wrong at all,” Scheyer said. “We’re gonna continue to do the best thing for him.”
Rugged defense
The Blue Devils had the overwhelming physical advantage on Monday night, obviously. They used it to dominate on the defensive end, an area where Scheyer insists they excel.
Dartmouth shot 33.9%, making only 4 of 18 (22.2%) of its 3-pointers. The Big Green turned the ball over 13 times, a number Scheyer would surely like to see larger. But Duke, for the most part, made it difficult for Dartmouth to get anything going in its half-court offense.
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.
