On a momentous day for the Army basketball program, there was no underdog movie script in sight for the Black Knights against the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.
For around 17 minutes, competitive basketball was being played in West Point, but a late first half surge and a second half takeover led to a 114-59 victory for Jon Scheyer’s squad. When the No. 4 team in KenPom goes up against the No. 340 team, there’s an expectation of some level of offensive dominance, and in that regard, the Blue Devils delivered.
“I thought it was just a very business-like approach tonight,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said. “They obviously played their asses off, they did a great job sharing the ball.”
To talk about the happenings of this game, you must first bring up the environment surrounding it. After years of the Black Knights heading to Durham, it was announced shortly after last season’s contest that Duke would be returning the trip on Veterans Day 2025. In the buildup to tipoff, plans were then made to honor Mike Krzyzewski, the Army alum who began his head coaching career in West Point.
All of those factors contributed to a spectacle unlike many – if any – seen in Christl Arena before. A record 5,326 fans packed into the building for the game, including a few hundred cadets who lived and died with every play their constituents made. Before tipoff, a pregame ceremony was held for Krzyzewski, who addressed the crowd before a banner was unveiled signifying the alum’s impact on college basketball.
“Remember that tonight is so very special,” Krzyzewski said. “You’re not going to see ten better guys all year in college basketball than the ten guys that will be on the court for the 40 minutes that you’ll watch. These young men represent the two best institutions in our country, the United States Military Academy and Duke University.”
It may not have been the Dean Dome, but the environment in Christl for the first five minutes of Monday night’s game could stand up to most power conference environments. A crowd that was mostly split between fans of the two schools watched as the Black Knights went shot-for-shot with the machine-like Blue Devils offense. Even as Duke’s lead began to widen, made threes by the home team kept their fans and students raucous.
It wasn’t until the second half that a somewhat back-and-forth affair turned one-sided. The Blue Devils went on an extended 27-9 run over the first ten minutes of the second half, turning a 19-point halftime lead into a 37-point rout. From there, Scheyer’s team continued to build on both ends, not stopping until they had won the second half 65-29.
Part of the reason for Duke’s late dominance came from more emphasis being placed at the rim. Patrick Ngongba and Cameron Boozer both improved their play in the second half, as the Blue Devils staff seemed to have the realization that the two future pros could get their money’s worth on the undersized Army defense. Boozer got to his spots down low when he needed to, but Ngongba was the more emphatic scorer, catching lobs down low and converting.
The shift to more interior play for the Blue Devils came after a first half dominated by three-pointers. 22 of Duke’s 35 first-half shot attempts were taken behind the arc, as the Black Knights sacrificed perimeter defense in favor of preventing baskets in the paint. Instead of calling Army’s bluff, Scheyer played into the opposing team’s gameplan, and it worked.
“If they’re just dunking and putting them in from two feet play-after-play-after-play, you have no chance,” Black Knights head coach Kevin Kuwik said. “At least if they’re shooting threes and you’re in tight, if you’re able to make them miss, you [have] a chance to get the rebound. And we got some for a little bit, and then they wore us down.”
Dame Sarr and Isaiah Evans were the biggest beneficiaries from the Blue Devils’ early perimeter attack, with Sarr specifically having the best half of his young collegiate career. The Italian freshman scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, hurting Army with open threes and good defensive play. Evans was even more of a sharpshooter for his team, making four threes in the first half en route to a 17-point performance.
On a night where captain Ryan Curry was still feeling the effects of an injury, true freshman Jackson Furman stole the show for the Black Knights. The guard finished with 20 points in just his third collegiate game, showing no fear in shooting over the length of Duke. The highlight of Furman’s night came with a few minutes remaining in the first half, as he got fouled by Darren Harris on a contested three from the right wing that still went in.
The Blue Devils were dominant in all facets of the game, including a 48-27 advantage on the glass. Scheyer’s team forced 17 turnovers compared to 10 of their own, and they finished shooting an impressive 56.9% from the floor. Six Duke players scored in double figures, including Cayden Boozer (10) and Darren Harris (15).
Next up, the Blue Devils will return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on Indiana State. Army plays Harvard on Saturday at 2 p.m.
“This was a big-time honor for our program,” Scheyer said. “[I’m] very proud of [our] effort, a ton of respect for West Point and [I’m] really grateful for them hosting us for this game.”
