Duke edges Kansas 78-66 as Cameron Boozer leads Blue Devils to 5-0 start in New York showdown

When Cameron Boozer drove baseline and finished through contact with 3:12 left, the roar from the Madison Square Garden crowd wasn’t just for the two points—it was for the statement. Duke Blue Devils had just pulled away from Kansas Jayhawks in a 78-66 win on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, in front of a packed arena in New York. The victory improved Duke to a perfect 5-0 on the season, while Kansas dropped to 3-1 after its second loss in less than two weeks. And for the first time since 2019, the Blue Devils had beaten the Jayhawks on a neutral court.

A Game of Momentum Swings

Kansas led by six points midway through the second half, with sophomore Flory Bidunga dominating inside after his career-high 25-point explosion against Princeton just two nights earlier. But Duke, under the steady hand of head coach Jon Scheyer, didn’t panic. They tightened their defense, forced six turnovers in the final eight minutes, and let Boozer—double- and triple-teamed nearly every possession—find open shooters instead. He finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists, but it was his unselfishness down the stretch that unlocked the game.

"They were throwing bodies at him," said Dame Sarr, Duke’s 6’10" defensive anchor. "But he kept making the right play. That’s what separates him." Sarr himself added 11 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks, turning away multiple Kansas drives in the paint. Meanwhile, freshman guard Caleb Foster from San Diego hit three clutch threes in the final four minutes, finishing with 15 points. "It’s what dreams are made of," Foster said afterward. "It’s what you come to Duke for. So I’m very excited."

The Coaching Chess Match

Jon Scheyer, in his third season leading Duke, had been preparing for this game since the season opener. His team had already crushed Army and Indiana State by an average of 27 points, but this was different. Kansas, under legendary coach Bill Self in his 22nd year, entered as the more experienced team. Self had called the matchup "a big boy game," and he wasn’t wrong. Kansas shot 51% from the field, held Duke to just 39% from deep, and outrebounded them 37-32. But turnovers—18 total, 10 in the second half—proved fatal.

"They’re good," Self said postgame. "They’re young again. Somebody asked me if they’re better than last year. And I said, ‘Well, it’s too early to tell, but this early in the season, I think they may execute their stuff better than last year.’" That execution came in the form of Duke’s 22 assists on 28 field goals, a sign of growing cohesion under Scheyer’s system.

Historical Weight Behind the Win

This wasn’t just another early-season non-conference game. Kansas had won five of the last six meetings between the programs, including the last two by double digits. The last time Duke beat Kansas? February 2019, in the NCAA Tournament. The last time they did it in a neutral-site game? 2014. So when the final buzzer sounded, the significance didn’t escape the players or the fans.

"We’ve been talking about this game since October," said Boozer. "Not just because of the ranking. But because of what it means—what it says about us. We’re not just a team with talent. We’re a team that can win the big ones."

What’s Next for Both Teams?

For Duke, the win sets up a challenging stretch: three straight ACC matchups, starting with a home game against Notre Dame next Tuesday. The Blue Devils are now ranked fifth in the AP Poll, and with Sarr anchoring the defense and Boozer evolving into a playmaker, they’re trending toward a top-three seed in March.

Kansas, meanwhile, heads into a brutal three-game neutral-site stretch against ACC opponents—Notre Dame, then Syracuse—before returning to Lawrence. The Jayhawks’ offense remains potent, led by Bidunga, who scored 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting against Duke. But their inability to close out games against elite teams is becoming a concern. They’ve now lost two of their last three against ranked opponents, including a 79-73 defeat to North Carolina on November 7.

Behind the Stats: The Numbers That Mattered

• Duke’s 78 points were their highest in a game against a top-25 opponent since 2023
• Cameron Boozer shot 7-for-15 from the field but made all 4 free throws
• Flory Bidunga scored 16 points (10-for-12 FG) and grabbed 9 rebounds, continuing his breakout season
• Duke forced 18 turnovers, converting them into 21 points—key in turning a 6-point deficit into a 12-point win
• Kansas’s 39% shooting from three (3-for-12) was their worst in a game since October 2024

As one analyst on YouTube noted, "The Blue Devils go to 5-0 on the young season, and they’re not just surviving—they’re learning how to win ugly. And that’s when good teams turn into great ones."

Forum Reactions and Fan Perspectives

On the Duke Basketball Report forum (as of November 19, 2025), fans were split between praise and concern. "Boozer was double-teamed every time he touched the ball," wrote user @BlueDevil88. "Part of this problem appeared to be (again) a surprising lack of court vision—he only seemed to see the two corners when the double/triple came." Others countered: "That’s why Dame and Foster are so important. They’re the safety valves. This team’s growing up fast."

The NCAA.com recap captured it best: "Duke didn’t need a flawless performance to beat Kansas. They just needed to be better when it counted. And on Tuesday night, they were."