The Devil's Den: A Duke Athletics Podcast

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 103-64 blowout exhibition win over the Tennessee Volunteers.

(2:35) - Initial thoughts 

(7:10) - Pace of play 

(10:10) - Dame Sarr 

(12:25) - Defensive intensity

(13:15) - Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje  

(14:45) - Sebastian Wilkins 

(19:05) - Patrick Ngongba

(21:20) - Cayden Boozer 

(26:45) - John Blackwell 

(31:55) - Deron Rippey 

(38:00) - Bryson Howard

(42:15) - Cam Williams 

(47:10) - How to balance depth with playing your best players 

(51:35) - Kansas exhibition

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to the Preseason ACC Media Poll before previewing next week’s exhibition against Tennessee. 

(3:30) - Duke picked by media to win ACC

(16:05) - All-ACC teams  

(24:20) - Is Thijs de Ridder the right pick for ACC Player of the Year? 

(29:50) - Previewing the Tennessee exhibition 

(40:35) - Miscellaneous season predictions (points per game, pace of play, use of depth) 

(45:50) - Recruiting updates

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke’s 102-62 exhibition win over Belmont. 

(3:35) - Dame Sarr’s sophomore leap 

(8:55) - Cam Williams’s spot in the rotation 

(13:50) - Defensive intensity and scheme 

(18:00) - Deron Rippey

(24:05) - Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje 

(29:40) - John Blackwell’s quiet efficiency 

(33:30) - Sebastian Wilkins 

(39:20) - Impact of depth 

(41:25) - Patrick Ngongba 

(42:40) - Ryan Kelly on the call 

(44:15) - Caleb Foster’s injury

Josh, Dustin, and Raul break down the latest recruiting news before getting into their biggest takeaways from this year's Countdown to Craziness. 

(4:05) - Luke Paul commits to Duke 

(8:20) - Asa Montgomery attends CTC 

(10:25) - Player intros and dunk contest 

(17:05) - Biggest scrimmage takeaways 

(19:50) - Pace of play 

(22:35) - Will Sebastian Wilkins be a contributor this year? 

(25:10) - The backcourt 

(29:05) - Deron Rippey's ceiling 

(30:45) - Elam Ending 

(32:00) - Concerns

(35:15) - The battle at the 4 spot 

(37:20) - Belmont exhibition 

(41:45) - Predicted starting lineup and rotations vs. Belmont 

Josh and Raul are joined by Brendan Marks of The Athletic. They discuss their biggest takeaways from Duke Media Day and get Brendan's thoughts on the upcoming season.

(2:20) - Honoring Chris Spatola
(5:10) - Coach Scheyer's comments on turning down the Mavericks job
(9:55) - Scheyer's evolving relationship with the media
(13:30) - Other Media Day takeaways
(16:50) - How Duke operates this year without an NPOY-caliber player
(20:10) - Backcourt depth and interplay
(26:50) - The ceiling this season for Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje
(31:45) - Longterm developmental players under Coach Scheyer
(34:45) - Changes to the coaching staff
(37:40) - Initial impressions of Coach Michael Malone at UNC

Josh and Raul are joined by Hugh Straine of Duke Blue Devils on SI. They get Hugh's overall impressions of the 2026-27 Duke team before diving into the ACC schedule in depth. Lastly, they talk about Coach Scheyer's recent appearance on the Glue Guys podcast and break down some of the most interesting things he said there.

(4:05) Thoughts on this year's Duke team

(24:45) ACC Schedule

(38:10) Jon Scheyer on the Glue Guy Podcast

Josh, Dustin and Raul open the podcast by talking about Duke's decision not to appoint team captains for the third straight season. Why has Coach Scheyer decided to move away from that tradition?

Then they play a game of "Buy or Sell?" Raul gives Josh and Dustin different Duke-related propositions and they each have to decide whether they're buying or selling them.

(1:30) - Thoughts on Scheyer's decision not to appoint team captains
(6:10) - Who the best choices for team captains this season might have been
(11:00) - "Buy or Sell" starts
(12:00) - Player-specific questions
(18:00) - Team-specific questions
(28:45) - Awards-related questions

Josh, Dustin, and Raul overreact to a highly edited five-minute scrimmage video just released by Duke Men's Basketball. They break down everything from Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje's continued ascent, to the improved playmaking of Dame Sarr, to the battle at the point guard spot.

(3:25) - Biggest storyline: The rise of Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje

(7:35) - The importance of Patrick Ngongba

(10:35) - The rest of the frontcourt

(15:35) - Dame Sarr

(18:40) - Who is Duke's point guard?
(23:35) - The starting five
(25:55) - Defensive observations
(30:45) - John Blackwell

(33:25) - 3pt shooting

(39:00) - Hot Takes

We would also like to encourage you to contribute to a GoFundMe for the children of Wayne Bumpass, a beloved member of the Duke and TDD Community who recently passed away:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-girl-dads-legacy-support-for-wayne-bumpasss-girls

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Terrence Oglesby of ESPN and The Field of 68. They talk about his playing days with the Clemson Tigers and his memorable head-to-head matchups with Jon Scheyer the player. They also get his thought on Scheyer's first four years as head coach and his expectations for this year's Duke team.

(3:05) - Terrence's decision to play overseas after two years at Clemson

(7:05) - Memories of playing against Duke

(17:43) - Thoughts on Scheyer's first four years as head coach

(21:35) - Handling tough tournament losses

(25:45) - Expectations for this year's Duke team

(35:40) - Biggest X-factors

Josh, Dustin, and Raul each draft five former one-and-done Duke players to try to assemble the best starting lineup they can. Afterward, they debate the strengths and weaknesses of each of their teams as well discussing notable snubs from the selection process.

(2:30) - Laying out the ground rules

(5:45) - Draft begins
(18:43) - Notable omissions and potential 6th man picks
(23:20) - Debating the merits of each team

Thanks to House of Duke Highlights on Twitter for the suggestion.