The Devil's Den: A Duke Athletics Podcast

Josh and Dustin react to Duke's quarterfinal loss in the ACC Tournament to NC State. They talk about Duke's recent two-game skid and what it says about the team as a whole. They discuss Duke's struggles with late-game execution as well as the poor play of the backcourt. Lastly, they talk about this loss's impact on Duke's tournament seeding. Does this loss put them on the 4-seed line now?

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's demoralizing 84-79 loss to UNC on Senior Night. What does it mean for Duke to get swept by a UNC team that wasn't significantly better than them by metrics or record? Why did Duke fall so far behind in the first half yet again? How was a role player for UNC able to have a huge night in both games? Was the game plan to shut down RJ Davis a mistake? Then they l...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by friend of the pod Kelly Rowe. They start by talking about the recent commitment to Duke of Khaman Maluach, a 7'2" center out of Africa in the class of 2024. They discuss what he'll bring to an already loaded team next season. Then they recap Duke's 79-64 road win over NC State. Topics include: Duke's composure and resilience after NC State started the game 9-0...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's decimation of Virginia in Cameron. They analyze the offensive and defensive game plan that allowed Duke to roll to a 73-48 victory. Topics discussed include Quick postups by Kyle Filipowski Big-to-big passing Virginia's decision to guard the 3pt line rather than double the post Mark Mitchell's tone-setting defense Tyrese Proctor's excellent play since returni...

Josh and Raul speak with Jonathan Levitan, Sports Editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume. They explore what it's like to cover Duke Athletics -- and more specifically, Duke Men's Basketball -- from the student perspective. Topics discussed include: Jonathan's roots as a Duke Basketball fan How he became involved in writing for The Chronicle Favorite memories of covering the team The transition fro...

Josh and Raul are joined by Jordan Mann and Conor O'Neill of The Big J and Little J Show to talk about Duke's 83-79 loss at Wake Forest. They discuss how Hunter Sallis was able to carve Duke up for 29 points on 11-13 shooting. They also break down the late-game execution. Was this a game that Wake Forest won or was this a game that Duke lost? Is Duke's 2-5 record in close games a cause for concern...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's blowout road win of the Miami Hurricanes. They dissect what might have been Duke's most complete performance of the season, a 84-55 domination that saw five players score in double figures. They talk about Duke's stifling switching defense, impressive dunks from Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, and how Roach's senior campaign stacks up against Duke legend Qu...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 76-67 win over Florida State. They talk about Jared McCain's offensive explosion. How was he able to take and make so many threes? They also highlight some other positive performances: 17 points from Jeremy Roach; steady ball-handling from Caleb Foster; solid defense from Mark Mitchell; and bench energy from Jaylen Blakes and Sean Stewart. Then they address s...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Brian Geisinger, writer for 247Sports and cohost of the Buzz Beat Podcast. They do a deep dive into the Wake Forest game -- which Brian was on press row for -- and also survey Duke's season as a whole. Topics include: Kyle Filipowski's versatile pick-and-roll coverage Drop defense vs. switching Mark Mitchell's offensive explosion Jared McCain as a movement shoo...

Josh and Raul give their immediate takes on Duke's 80-65 home win over Boston College. Topics include: The defensive gameplan to limit Quinten Post First half offensive lull Recent struggles with 3pt shooting Second half defensive dominance Mark Mitchell's offense A bounce-back performance from Kyle Filipowski Sean Stewart's increasing role Jared McCain's rebounding Then they preview Monday's matc...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's 71-53 win over Notre Dame. Topics include: The solid defense and energy from the tip The offensive lull after taking a 20-5 lead Some mental mistakes at the end of the half Early minutes for the bench Sean Stewart's highlight block and dunk Jared McCain's hot streak continuing Mark Mitchell's post play Possible causes for struggles of Kyle Filipowski Then the...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul talk through what went wrong in Duke's 93-84 loss to UNC. They talk about the live-ball turnovers, Armando Bacot's big night, and Harrison Ingram's five three-pointers. Why were the Blue Devils unable to match UNC's effort and hustle? They highlight some bright spots, including the performances of Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach. Lastly, they grade the performances of the soph...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Josh Cox of the Section 17 Podcast and Duke Report. They preview Saturday's top 10 matchup between Duke and UNC in Chapel Hill. Topics include: Who guards RJ Davis How UNC defends Kyle Filipowski Keeping UNC out of transition and off the glass Mark Mitchell's role Mismatches Duke can hunt Then they reminisce about some of Duke's best performances in the Dean Do...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's impressive 77-67 road win over Virginia Tech. Topics include: Kyle Filipowski's rim protection The hot shooting from the guards The shallow rotation Tyrese Proctor's two-way play Jeremy Roach's exceptional senior season Duke's offense in conference play Crucial second half minutes from Ryan Young How this win positions Duke going forward

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's wild 72-71 victory over Clemson. Topics include: Dustin's impressions from being at the game on press row The first half defense of Mark Mitchell, Tyrese Proctor, and Kyle Filipowski Duke's inability to create separation after going up 32-20 Clemson's 45-point second half Duke's struggles on the defensive glass The difficulties Duke faces when Filipowski is n...

Josh and Raul are joined by Russell Hainline of Crazie Cast to talk about Duke's recent stretch of games. They react to the disappointing home loss to Pittsburgh and the 83-69 win at Louisville. How concerning is it that Duke is struggling against weak teams? How much of this is a product of health, how much is schematic, and how much comes down to effort? They then preview the Clemson game and ta...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by John Watson of thedevilsden.com to answer some mailbag questions from members of site message board. Topics discussed include: Favorite Duke jerseys Grayson Allen's ranking among the best Duke players of all time Duke's status as a contender this year Which players from this year's team are expected to leave after the season The most important committed player...

Josh and Dustin react to Duke's come-from-behind win versus Georgia Tech. They talk about Mark Mitchell's last-minute absence, Kyle Filipowski's big night, and Tyrese Proctor picking up the slack after Jeremy Roach's injury. They break down how GT was able to score so easily. Was it a matter of ball screen coverage or just tough shot making? They also highlight some of the key plays in the 2nd hal...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's dominant 75-53 victory over Pittsburgh. They talk about the three-point shooting, Kyle Filipowski's nearly perfect night from the field, and Duke's switching defense, which prevented Pittsburgh from getting any kind of rhythm. They also discuss whether Caleb Foster should keep starting or if Proctor needs to re-enter the starting lineup. Then they preview Duk...

Josh and Dustin react to Duke's ugly 67-59 win over Notre Dame. They talk about Mark Mitchell's career night, another slow start for Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach's steady play, and whether it's time for Tyrese Proctor to re-enter the starting lineup. Then they turn their attention to Pittsburgh, another tough road test where Duke will have to play significantly better on offense. They highlight P...

Josh and Dustin react to Duke's 86-66 win over Syracuse. They discuss Mark Mitchell's big first half, Kyle Filipowski's early foul trouble, and the lights-out second-half 3pt shooting that allowed Duke to finally pull away. Then they preview Duke's second ACC road test, against a very young Notre Dame team. Can Duke overcome their road woes? Will they cover the 13-point spread predicted by Kenpom?

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by John Watson of thedevilsden.com to preview Duke's upcoming ACC schedule. John gives his thoughts on Duke's up-and-down start and what the team can improve on going forward. Then they break down the schedule and give their predictions on Duke's win-loss record in ACC play. They also discuss All-ACC teams before talking a bit about recruiting, the incoming 2024 c...

Josh, Dustin, and Raul give their immediate reactions to Duke's big 78-70 win over Baylor. They talk about the play of the guards, the valuable late game minutes from Ryan Young, and what this win means for Duke going forward.

Josh, Dustin, and Raul preview Duke's big matchup in Madison Square Garden with the Baylor Bears. They also take a look at what Duke did well against Charlotte and Hofstra and whether they can carry it forward versus a top 10 opponent.

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Brian Geisinger of 247Sports and the Buzz Beat Podcast for a deep dive on Duke's season so far. At 7-3, Duke has gotten off to a slower start than predicted. Brian gives his thoughts on the issues with the team so far and where they can improve. Topics include: Off-ball movement on Kyle Filipowski postups How to use Mark Mitchell creatively to offset the way te...