DURHAM, N.C. — Duke basketball took down Tennessee, 103-64, in a top-10 preseason exhibition at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The No. 2 Blue Devils dominated from start to finish, jumping out to an early double-digit lead and not looking back. At halftime, Duke led 54-30, then outscored the Volunteers 49-34 in the second half en route to its second preseason win.
"Really proud of the effort," head coach Jon Scheyer said postgame. "Wish that counted as a game, but it doesn't. So, for us, we have to have humility to keep going and keep getting better."
Duke closes out preseason play on the road at Kansas for a Sunday, Oct. 25 exhibition game. The Blue Devils officially get their 2026-27 season underway against Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 2.
Here are five observations from Duke basketball's exhibition against Tennessee.
Duke basketball depth on display
The entirety of Duke's bench saw action against Tennessee. Out of the 13 that saw time, nine played 15 minutes or more. Six Blue Devils finished in double-figures: Deron Rippey Jr. (21), John Blackwell (18), Dame Sarr (15), Patrick Ngongba II (13), Sebastian Wilkins and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (11).
It should be noted, too, Duke was without full strength. Caleb Foster is out with an ankle injury and Drew Scharnowski is out dealing with a knee injury. Foster said there's a "chance" Foster suits up in Duke's final exhibition against Kansas on Sunday.
Duke hangs 100 for second-straight game
Duke got off to a hot start and it never looked back. With 10 minutes left in the first half, Duke already led 29-9. The Blue Devils largest lead of the game was 42 at the 5:52 mark of the second half. Duke finished the game shooting 54.5% from the field while it held Tennessee to 33.9% for the game.
It marks the second-straight game Duke has hung 100 on its opponent after putting up 102 against Belmont.
New-look Deron Rippey Jr. makes big impact
Debuting his new hairstyle, Deron Rippey Jr. was one of the first subs off the bench for Duke, checking in alongside Sebastian Wilkins and Bryson Howard at the 15:45 mark of the first half. The freshman immediately made his presence known, hitting a triple 10 seconds after checking in and coming up with a steal six seconds after that.
Rippey Jr. was the first Blue Devil in double-figures after a second quarter dunk that came off a halfcourt steal. He finished with 21 points while shooting 9-of-12 from the field with three assists, three steals and one assist in 20:48 minutes of action. His 21 points and three steals were team-highs.
Duke's transition offense takes off
Duke found plenty of opportunities to run against Tennessee, outscoring the Volunteers 28-7 in transition. That was helped in part that the Blue Devils also controlled the defensive glass, outrebounding Tennessee 33-18 on that end of the floor, and forced 13 turnovers. Duke scored 15 points off those turnovers.
The Blue Devils also held a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Year 2 guys continuing to make strides
Dame Sarr had his second-straight double-digit outing with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also drew seven fouls after drawing six against Belmont. Sebastian Wilkins, one of the first off the bench for Duke, finished with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting. Both added a steal and an assist apiece.
Cayden Boozer only took one shot and his two points came from free throws. He added a team-high six assists.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball takeaways from exhibition win over Tennessee