DURHAM, N.C. — Tennessee got an early look at how far it has to go before the season starts. The eighth-ranked Volunteers fell 103-64 to No. 2 Duke on Tuesday night in a preseason exhibition at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils took control from the opening tip. Duke scored the first 17 of the game’s first 19 points and kept Tennessee without a made field goal for almost six minutes, then stretched the margin to 42-14 with a little more than six minutes left in the half.
The Vols answered with a 13-4 burst and closed the half on a heave from past midcourt at the buzzer, but they still went to the locker room down 54-30. Duke pushed the lead to 40 points midway through the second half and led by as many as 42.
Dai Dai Ames carried the Tennessee offense with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Juke Harris and Troy Henderson each added 10, and Braedan Lue pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Shooting told the story. Tennessee made 20 of 59 shots from the floor, about 34 percent, and hit just 4 of 18 from three-point range. Duke shot 54.5 percent and made 12 threes. The Vols also turned the ball over 13 times.
Freshman Deron Rippey Jr. led Duke with 21 points, and John Blackwell added 18. The game was an exhibition, so it does not count toward either team’s record.
For Tennessee, the night was a measuring stick. The Vols rebuilt their roster this offseason with one of the strongest transfer classes in the country following an Elite Eight run, and they made the trip to Durham to test that group against a Duke team chasing a title in what may be the deepest roster of Jon Scheyer’s tenure as coach. Duke made all 13 of its free throws in the first half and finished 19 of 21 at the line.
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