Hot take: this year's Duke basketball team is really good.

The Blue Devils mowed through Coastal Carolina 113-52 to improve to 2-0 on the 2026-27 season. Duke's first two outings against Army and the Chanticleers served as some fine-tuning before it meets No. 6 Michigan State in the Champions Classic next on Nov. 10.

Overall, it was another improved day for Jon Scheyer's club. Let's go through a few big winners and losers from Duke's second win of the year.

Winners

Patrick Ngongba

Patrick Ngongba has a legitimate chance to be the best two-way big man in college basketball this season. Over Duke's three preseason games and two regular-season games, the strides he's made on both sides of the ball are clear.

Against Coastal Carolina, the 6'11" junior went for a career-high 28 points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a block on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range. It was the first time he's gone for 20 or more in his Duke career. Regardless, Ngongba changed his body this offseason, and his footwork has clearly gotten a lot better.

With so many offensive options on this team, Ngongba is poised to be one of the most consistent. It's no secret that he was a huge retention for Scheyer and his staff this offseason, but he displayed what his ceiling is this year.

Point Guards

Another hot take: Duke's point guard room is also really good.

Cayden Boozer got the start again on Thursday night, but Caleb Foster and Deron Rippey Jr. were also fantastic. Boozer is quickly turning into an extremely high-level college basketball point guard, going for 11 points, three boards, three steals, and a career-high 12 assists. Foster added 15 points and two assists on 5-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes, and Rippey went for eight points in 17 minutes.

As we discussed before the season started, the "starter" at point guard doesn't matter all that much. Boozer, Foster, and Rippey will all see significant time and impact the game in their own ways when they're on the floor. The Blue Devils' elite depth is clear, but their guard room is superb. We didn't even mention John Blackwell, who tallied a quiet 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje

Stud freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje didn't score at a super high clip, but he showed in how many ways he can impact winning basketball. The seven-footer notched nine points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and three blocks on 2-of-5 shooting from the floor.

Beyond his obvious talent, Boumtje Boumtje will be such an interesting player to follow this season because of what his role can turn into. He's such a unique defensive tool for Scheyer to utilize in different ways, but he can also affect the game offensively in a bunch of different areas. He's obviously a big-time prospect, but he's still figuring out what his role as a rookie is actually going to be.

Losers

Turnovers

There wasn't much to dislike at all about the Blue Devils, but the one negative was the turnovers. Duke surrendered 13 turnovers against Army on Monday and turned it over another 15 times against Coastal Carolina. Granted, they were a much smaller issue in the second half, but several of them were unforced.