The struggles continue for the Wake Forest Men’s Basketball team as a 90-69 loss against arguably their biggest rival marks another low point in the 2025-2026 season. While the odds were certainly stacked against the Demon Deacons heading into this showdown, a loss of this magnitude is certainly a bad look.
After a terrific opening stretch that gave Wake Forest an 18-11 lead, the short-lived strong start went off the rails once Duke found their rhythm. Even after holding on to a 1-point lead with 5:20 left to go in the first, the Demon Deacons found themselves on their heels and allowed Duke to take an 11-point lead by halftime.
From there on out, it was all Duke basketball. While Wake Forest did their all to stay afloat, they were no match for the nationally ranked juggernaut.
Beyond the lackluster defense all game, the biggest problem faced by Wake Forest was their rebounding. Contrary to the Blue Devils team that owned the glass, the Demon Deacons finished with 22 total rebounds, six of which were on the offensive side.
“We had a pretty close game, and then the game flipped. Why? Because of offensive rebounds,” Coach Steve Forbes said following the game. “I think they got four [offensive rebounds] in one possession, and turnovers became atomic bombs. That grew into a double-digit lead for them.”
While it’s evident that they had an all-around solid game on offense, it’s hard to put up points when you don’t have the ball. Of course, facing off against Cameron Boozer in his home court is a big enough challenge on its own. Boozer, a projected top-five pick in the upcoming NBA draft, dominated Wake Forest on all sides of the ball.
The freshman forward finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and three steals in an all-around terrific performance. Boozer also led the Blue Devils with four offensive rebounds, the category that haunted the Demon Deacons the most in Saturday’s matchup.
“Well, last year it was Cooper Flagg. This year, it was Cameron Boozer,” Forbes said. “He’s a great player and a hard guy to guard. They run the entire offense through him.”
The only bright spot for Wake Forest in this lopsided contest was undoubtedly the incredible play from Juke Harris. Harris, who finished with 23 points against the Blue Devils, has now scored at least 20 in four of his last five games. In a season filled with such disappointment for Wake Forest, the sophomore guard’s breakout campaign has been an amazing development.
Beyond Harris’s solid game, forwards Cooper Schwieger and Tre’von Spillers held their own with a combined 22 points and five rebounds. Schwieger in particular had a bit of a breakout game himself as the junior finished with his season high of 12 points against Duke’s defensive powerhouse.
“I thought when we ran an offense with our ball movement, we got pretty good shots when we did it,” Forbes said. “[Harris], [Biliew], [Spillers] and [Schwieger] all played really well. I thought those guys competed.”
Aside from a few solid efforts down the stretch, there was not much else to write home about in this one. The loss on Saturday was the 27th straight time Wake Forest has fallen at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a 29-year winless drought at Duke’s home arena.
Going into Saturday’s game against NC State at the Joel, the Demon Deacons now sit at 11-9 and are 2-5 against ACC opponents. They will now face a flurry of in-conference opponents in their final push of the season.
