No. 3 Duke Falls 82-81 to No. 19 Texas Tech

In a thrilling nonconference matchup at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday night, the No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils suffered their first loss of the season, falling 82-81 to the No. 19 Texas Tech Red Raiders. The narrow defeat snapped Duke's 11-game winning streak and dropped the Blue Devils to 11-1 overall, while Texas Tech improved to 9-3.

The game began with Texas Tech asserting early dominance, jumping to a 9-0 lead that prompted a quick timeout from Duke head coach Jon Scheyer less than two minutes in. The Blue Devils responded forcefully, outscoring the Red Raiders 46-27 for the rest of the first half behind strong play from freshman forward Cameron Boozer. Boozer showcased his versatility with crafty spins, powerful drives and dominant rebounds, complementing Duke's effective 3-point shooting. Texas Tech's challenges mounted as star big man JT Toppin, averaging 21.9 points and 10.6 rebounds entering the game, picked up early fouls and had to dial back his aggression, leaving the undersized Red Raiders struggling to match Duke's interior presence.

Duke carried momentum into the second half, extending their lead with continued scoring inside and from beyond...