Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) reacts after scoring against the NC State Wolfpack during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Duke Basketball Completely Silences NC State in Raleigh

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Mar 2, 2026 9:08 PM ET

Despite falling behind by four points in the opening minutes on Monday night, Duke basketball wound up having no trouble recording its seventh straight victory in dominant fashion. The No. 1-ranked Blue Devils (28-2, 16-1 ACC) prevailed on the road, 93-64, against the unranked NC State Wolfpack (19-11, 10-7 ACC) in the Lenovo Center.

After struggling early on to defend NC State's Darrion Williams and the Wolfpack's 3-point attack, the Blue Devils heated up on offense and locked in on defense to build a 27-22 advantage at the under-8 media timeout in the first half. At that juncture, six Duke basketball players had already entered the scoring column, as freshman guard Dame Sarr led the way with eight points while shooting 2-for-3 beyond the arc.

And the Blue Devils then continued to mash the gas for the rest of half, entering the locker room with a 47-30 lead in tow.

Sarr and Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer combined for 25 points in the first half. Plus, they accounted for the bulk of the Blue Devils' rebound across the first 20 minutes of action, as Sarr grabbed six boards and Boozer, the runaway favorite for ACC Player of the Year, added five to go along with his three assists and zero turnovers.

11 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes for Cam at the break

Cam's the 2nd Duke player in last 30 seasons to have 5+ rebounds in each of his 1st 30 career games (Marvin Bagley III) pic.twitter.com/A1Ec463kyq
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 3, 2026

Duke led at halftime for the 15th consecutive outing, its longest such streak since the program's 2014-15 national championship campaign.

Duke Basketball Further Deflates NC State in Second Half

Out of the break, the Blue Devils put together a 6-0 run across the first two minutes of the second half to extend their lead to 23 at 53-30.

First-year Wolfpack head coach Will Wade and his bunch just never found any answers to slow down Jon Scheyer's high-powered fourth Duke basketball squad.

DAME SARR pic.twitter.com/65NQXPnAEg
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 3, 2026

Four Blue Devils finished with double-digit points in the contest: Cameron Boozer (26 points, nine rebounds, three assists), Dame Sarr (16 points, eight boards, 3-for-5 from three), sophomore wing Isaiah Evans (12 points, 4-for-8 from three), and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II (11 points, five rebounds).

With the victory, Duke solidified the outright ACC regular season crown for the second year in a row.

Next up for the Blue Devils is their regular season finale against the archrival UNC Tar Heels. Duke and visiting No. 17 UNC (23-6, 11-5 ACC) square off in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN).

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