DURHAM — Duke opened the 2023-24 basketball season looking like the No. 2 team in the nation, beating Dartmouth 92-54 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night.
The win was Duke’s 17th straight at home as the Blue Devils remained unbeaten at Cameron under second-year head coach Jon Scheyer. It was also the 24th consecutive opener the Blue Devils have won, a streak that goes back to the start of the 2000-01 season.
The Blue Devils were without sophomore Mark Mitchell, who also missed the final game of last season. Scheyer said Mitchell was battling a sprained ankle. He’s hopeful to have the forward back for Friday’s home game against No. 12 Arizona but that remains up in the air.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to him,” Scheyer said.
The Blue Devils were also without sophomore Jaden Schutt, who missed the game due to personal issues.
The shorthanded Blue Devils did just fine without the pair, however. Duke never trailed and jumped out to a quick seven-point lead, eventually doubling up Dartmouth in the first half, 42-21. An 11-0 run starting in the first minute of the second half removed all drama from the outcome.
The game offered the first look at Duke’s freshman class. Shooting guard Jared McCain started hit two early 3-pointers and finished with eight points. He battled foul trouble throughout the game and fouled out in the second half, which limited his productivity.
Fellow freshman guard Caleb Foster came off the bench to score 15 points, second highest on the team behind sophomore big man Kyle Filipowski’s 25.
“The thing with Caleb and Jared, they’re not afraid, at all,” Scheyer said. “They’ve been battle-tested. They’re ready to go.”
Filipowski had four dunks and seven rebounds on the night on 10-of-12 shooting.
The pairing of veteran guards Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor also picked up where it left off down the stretch last season. The Blue Devils’ offense found a new gear late in the year, when Proctor took over running the offense, leaving Roach to hunt his shot. Proctor dished out eight assists in the opener against just one turnover, while Roach scored on a variety of drives to the basket, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
