Duke Handles Boston College, Now All Eyes Shift to Chapel Hill

Some nights at Cameron Indoor Stadium feel tense.
Tuesday night wasn’t one of them.

And on a personal note.. it felt really good to be back in the building.

I had to cancel plans for the Wake Forest home game on January 24 and then miss the road trip to Blacksburg for the Virginia Tech game thanks to round one of an ice storm and round two of snow back home in Southwest Virginia. Honestly, I wasn’t even planning on being at the Boston College game. But then a buddy called with free tickets and offered to drive. That’s not an offer you turn down. Next thing I knew, I was back at Cameron.. exactly where I needed to be.

From the opening tip, Duke looked like the more locked-in, more physical, and more connected team, rolling past Boston College 67–49 and moving to 21–1 overall and 10–0 in the ACC.

It didn’t take long for the tone to be set. Cameron Boozer knocked down a three on Duke’s first possession, followed it with a steal and a dunk, and suddenly the building was alive. An 11–0 start forced Boston College into an early timeout, and honestly, the game never really felt up for grabs after that.

This one was all about control, pace, defense, and effort.

Boozer once again looked like the engine that makes everything go. He finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, added five steals, and seemed to be everywhere on the floor. It wasn’t flashy for flash’s sake, it was the kind of steady, winning basketball that great players bring every night. Eleven double-doubles into the season, and he just keeps stacking them.

Isaiah Evans provided a big lift as well, scoring 12 points and knocking down timely shots whenever Boston College tried to make things interesting. Each time the Eagles hinted at a run, Duke calmly answered with a three, a stop, a fast-break bucket and the margin stayed comfortable.

But the real story was the defense.

Boston College came in averaging close to 70 points per game. Duke held them to 49. That didn’t happen by accident. The Blue Devils forced turnovers early, challenged every look, and turned defense into offense all night long. Duke never let BC find a rhythm, and Cameron never felt uneasy.

By halftime, Duke led 42–27. Early in the second half, the lead stretched to 20, and from there it was about finishing the job.. something this team has become very good at.

A few numbers jump off the page:

• 28 straight home wins dating back to last season
• 59–3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium under Jon Scheyer
• 10 straight wins overall
• won 32 of the last 33 games against ACC opponents

At this point, that’s not a hot stretch.. that’s who Duke is.

It wasn’t a masterpiece, and it didn’t need to be. It was a professional, business-like February win in Cameron. Handle what’s in front of you, protect home court, move on.

And now comes the part that always delivers.

Next Up: Duke–Carolina

The rivalry never disappoints.

Duke heads to Chapel Hill for another chapter in the best rivalry in college basketball, and once again, it’s a Top-25 showdown. As of this writing, Duke sits at No. 4 in the AP Poll, while North Carolina is No. 14, setting the stage for another nationally-charged matchup.

There’s also some recent history worth remembering. Duke went 3–0 against UNC last season, sweeping the regular-season home-and-home series and then beating the Tar Heels in the semifinals of the 2025 ACC Tournament. None of that guarantees anything, this rivalry never works that way.. but it certainly adds some edge.

Rankings, records, and streaks tend to get tossed aside once the ball goes up in Chapel Hill. The rivalry always finds a way to bring drama, and with both teams rolling, Saturday night feels like another classic waiting to happen.

​Business handled at Cameron.
Next stop: Chapel Hill.