The Duke Blue Devils just won their exhibition game against the Kansas Jayhawks 90-84. They were on the road in a hostile environment against a good team with the number 1 freshman recruit, Tyran Stokes. This was a big win for Duke; it was their final exhibition game before the season starts and gives them momentum heading into the season.
Duke played a well-rounded Game
Duke had 34 paint points and dominated the rebounding battle. The Blue Devils grabbed 43 rebounds to the Jayhawks 30. Kansas actually hit two more field goals than Duke. The difference was that Kansas missed 9 free throws, and Duke made 27 of 33 attempts at the line. The Jayhawks actually led in a lot of the statistical categories, but Duke was able to make most of their free throws.
Duke had 11 second-chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds. They were the more aggressive team, attacking and drawing fouls. Their bigs were drawing double teams and passing it to the open guy. The guards were playing fast and setting plays up; they were throwing entry passes to the bigs so that they could go to work.
Patrick Ngongba and the Rest
Patrick Ngongba dominated the game in the paint from start to finish, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Shooting 9-of-12 from the field, he also knocked down a three-pointer and converted nine of his 10 free-throw attempts. He was showcasing his ability to score in the post with a powerful back down and layups while also making hook shots. He is also a good passer out of the post and is able to find the open guy.
Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell added 23 points to help Ngongba out. He went 6/12 from the field and made 4 out of his 7 three-point attempts. He hit two crucial threes near the end to help Duke pull away in a close game. Outside of Ngongba and Blackwell, the rest of the team struggled shooting from the field, aside from Bryson Howard and Sebastian Wilkins, who went 4/4 combined…