Duke Routs No. 8 Tennessee 103-64 in Cameron Exhibition / sportsearchers.com

Calling this a Duke win understates it. The Blue Devils beat preseason No. 8 Tennessee 103-64 in an exhibition at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and six Duke players scored in double figures. Deron Rippey Jr. and John Blackwell led the scoring.

Standout performances

Several Blue Devils filled the stat sheet. Patrick Ngongba II controlled the glass, Cayden Boozer handed out six assists, and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje blocked three shots. Together they showed Duke’s depth against a ranked opponent.

A fast start

Dame Sarr set the tone with four early points, a layup and a fast-break alley-oop. Tennessee made two free throws but opened 0-for-5 from the field, missing three threes along the way. Duke answered with a 15-0 run. Ngongba made two free throws for a 6-2 lead a little over two minutes in, and Blackwell added a three. Rippey checked in at the first media timeout and hit a three of his own. Duke’s defense also forced three turnovers in about four minutes.

Ames Dai Dai finally ended Tennessee’s field-goal drought, but Ngongba followed with a layup and a fast-break three. Duke led 17-4 after six minutes. The Blue Devils also made good use of second chances. After Bryson Howard missed a fast-break corner three, Boumtje Boumtje won the rebound and scored to make it 22-6.

A slower middle stretch

Duke eased off the pace after its sprint. Sarr caught his breath at the line after a foul, and a foul by Sebastian Wilkins on Jalen Haralson gave another breather when the Tennessee guard missed both shots. Ngongba and Boumtje Boumtje kept scoring inside, and Wilkins knocked down a clean corner three. The Cameron Crazies sang “Shots” to him during the timeout. His rebounding and passing both looked noticeably better than last season.

Duke led 38-14 with just under eight minutes left in the half. The Blue Devils were in the bonus and went a perfect 13-for-13 at the free-throw line in the half. Late in the half, four Duke players converged on a rebound, Blackwell secured it, and Sarr got a wide-open three at the other end. Ngongba then blocked a Tennessee shot. Scoring slowed near the break, but the unselfish play and highlight shots kept the crowd entertained.

The Crazies bring the energy

Many of the Cameron Crazies had earned their seats by camping out overnight. They heckled the Volunteers and roared from Section 17, clearly happy with what they saw.

The second half

Duke came out of the locker room with a three, a layup and a fast-break dunk in quick succession. With over 15 minutes left, the lead was 70-38. Rippey then stole the ball and finished with another dunk for 74-40, and a Sarr layup made it 81-46. Boumtje Boumtje hit a three before play paused for a Tennessee player’s bloody nose, making it 86-48.

Tennessee never solved Duke’s defense. The Volunteers shot 34% from the floor and scored only 18 points in the paint. Duke passed 100 points with more than a minute left. Reserves Nick Arnold, Jacob Theodosiou and Brock Davis all got in the game, to the delight of the crowd.

Not perfect

Duke’s night still had flaws. The Blue Devils committed 10 turnovers and gave up nine offensive rebounds, with some wild passes and a few stumbles out of bounds. Their talent and effort easily outweighed those mistakes.

What’s next

Duke visits Allen Fieldhouse on Oct. 25 for its final exhibition, against Kansas. The Blue Devils will try to finish the preseason with a third win.