The Opening Tip
No. 3 Duke returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night, Dec. 16, to host the Lipscomb Bisons in a 6 p.m. tipoff. The game will air on the ACC Network, with Anish Shroff and Randolph Childress on the call, while David Shumate and John Roth handle radio duties for the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between Duke and Lipscomb, a matchup that pits one of the nation’s hottest teams against the reigning Atlantic Sun champions.
Duke enters the contest riding a 22-game home winning streak and has won 35 straight home games against unranked non-conference opponents. Under head coach Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils boast a dominant 53-3 home record, and Scheyer himself sits on 99 career victories, one win shy of reaching the 100-win milestone.
The Blue Devils’ 10-0 start is their best since the 2017–18 season and includes four top-25 victories over Michigan State, Florida, Arkansas and Kansas. Duke currently ranks No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage defense (.341) and owns the top-rated defense in the country, while also ranking among the nation’s leaders in scoring margin and scoring defense.
Freshman sensation Cameron Boozer continues to shine, leading the nation in scoring at 23.0 points per game. Boozer earned ACC Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors earlier this month. Duke has also received key contributions from Patrick Ngongba II, one of the ACC’s top shot blockers, sharpshooter Isaiah Evans, and veteran guard Caleb Foster, the program’s longest-tenured player.
Scouting Lipscomb
Lipscomb arrives in Durham as the defending Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament champion, having made its second NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025. First-year head coach Kevin Carroll has guided the Bisons to a five-game winning streak, winning six of their last seven games after an 0-3 start.
The Bisons rely heavily on perimeter shooting, ranking among the national leaders in three-point attempts and makes. Center Grant Asman leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks, while guard Mateo Esmeraldo ranks among the nation’s top assist leaders.
Scheyer on the Brink of History
A Duke victory would give Jon Scheyer his 100th career win, placing him among the fastest coaches in recent Division I history to reach the mark. Already a two-time ACC Tournament champion as a head coach, Scheyer has set multiple conference records since taking over the program, including an undefeated home season in his debut year.
Last Time Out
Duke is coming off a statement 66–60 road win over No. 7 Michigan State, rallying from a second-half deficit to hand the Spartans their first loss of the season. Boozer recorded an 18-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Foster and Nikolas Khamenia provided clutch scoring down the stretch.
The victory marked Duke’s third straight top-25 win, a first in program history for non-conference play, and further cemented the Blue Devils as one of the nation’s elite teams heading into Tuesday night’s showdown at Cameron.
Leave a Reply