West Point, NY– The stars and stripes will fly high at Christl Arena on Veterans Day as Army West Point men’s basketball (1-1) prepares for one of the most significant games in program history, hosting the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (2-0) in a matchup that transcends the hardwood.
Tuesday’s 7 p.m. ET tip-off on CBS Sports Network marks just the third time in program history—and the first time in 28 years—that the Black Knights have hosted a Power Five opponent at West Point. But this isn’t just another basketball game. It’s a homecoming, a celebration of military service, and a tribute to the man who built Duke basketball on the foundation laid at the United States Military Academy.
The Return of a Legend
Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest head coach in NCAA Division I history, will make his return to West Point on Tuesday, where he will be honored in front of a sold-out crowd that includes many of his former Army players. The 1969 West Point graduate earned three letters as a cadet and captained the basketball team as a senior before returning as head coach from 1975-80, compiling a 73-59 record.
“To honor all the veterans on Veterans Day, that’s a special thing to be playing at West Point for that reason,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said.
For Krzyzewski, who spent four years as a cadet and five as a coach at Army, West Point was more than just a stop on his journey—it was the crucible that forged the leadership philosophy that would define his legendary 42-year tenure at Duke (1,438-309).
“Obviously, it’s sort of what birthed Coach K,” said ESPN broadcaster Chris Spatola, Krzyzewski’s son-in-law, a West Point graduate, and former Duke assistant coach. “The values that he conducted not just his life with, but he conducted his program with, were built out of that. The tone, the way he communicated, changed over time. But the values, he was never willing to compromise.”
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A Historic Matchup
The game represents Duke’s earliest true road game in program history. The Blue Devils’ previous earliest road contest was also at West Point on Nov. 16, 1997—the last time these programs met at Christl Arena. That night, a crowd of 5,055 watched freshmen Elton Brand and Shane Battier make their college debuts in a 78-45 Duke victory. Steve Wojciechowski and Trajan Langdon started in the backcourt, and only five Army-Navy games have drawn larger crowds to Christl Arena.
Duke leads the all-time series 13-3, with the Blue Devils winning all nine meetings since the series resumed on Dec. 22, 1996. The average margin of victory in those nine games: 39.3 points. Army’s last victory over Duke came in February 1939, a 37-27 triumph in a vastly different era of basketball.
But statistics and history mean little on Veterans Day at West Point, where the significance of the occasion far outweighs the expected outcome.
“When you combine the opportunity to host a program with the stature of Duke basketball on Veterans Day in Christl with the connection to a legend in our program’s history, it is a tremendous thrill for the young men in our program, “ Army head coach Kevin Kuwik said. “We are grateful to Coach Scheyer for this opportunity and look forward to a memorable experience not just for our team, but for the entire West Point community and alumni.”
The Blue Devils Roll In
Duke enters Tuesday’s matchup as the only team ranked in the top seven nationally in both offensive efficiency (121.6, 7th) and defensive efficiency (93.2, 7th), according to KenPom.com. The Blue Devils are coming off an 18th Final Four appearance and finished last season 35-4 overall—the program’s 17th 30-win season.
The 2024-25 Blue Devils achieved the best offensive efficiency rating (130.1) in KenPom history (since the 1996-97 season), and this year’s squad has picked up right where they left off with a 2-0 start highlighted by a 75-60 victory over Texas and a dominant 95-54 home win over Western Carolina.
Cameron Boozer: The Next Generation
Leading the charge for Duke is freshman forward Cameron Boozer, son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer and the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year. The younger Boozer has been nothing short of sensational, averaging a double-double with 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game through two contests. He also leads the team with 4.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
In Duke’s most recent victory over Western Carolina, Boozer posted 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, showcasing the all-around game that made him the centerpiece of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.
His twin brother, Cayden Boozer, has been equally impressive off the bench, collecting 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals against Western Carolina while posting a game-high +32 plus-minus.
Veteran Leadership
Sophomore guard Isaiah Evans, a Preseason All-ACC Second Team selection who led last season’s team in three-point field goal percentage (41.6%), scored a career-high 23 points in Duke’s season-opening win over Texas. Against Western Carolina, Evans posted seven points while going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, extending his streak to 10 consecutive makes from the charity stripe—a new career long.
Junior forward Patrick Ngongba II has scored 10 points in both games, shooting an efficient 8-for-12 from the field while averaging 6.5 rebounds. Transfer Maliq Brown posted his first double-digit performance as a Blue Devil with 10 points against Western Carolina, his 26th career double-figure scoring game.
Duke guard Caleb Foster revealed the team will wear USA flag patches on their shoes for the Veterans Day game, adding, “I think it’s going to be a really cool experience.”
Army’s Young Guns Ready for Battle
The Black Knights enter Tuesday’s contest with a 1-1 record after opening the season with a 73-49 home victory over SUNY Maritime before falling 76-83 to the University of St. Thomas Tommies on Saturday. But don’t let the record fool you—Army has shown flashes of brilliance that could make them dangerous against a ranked opponent.
Army’s roster looks dramatically different this season after graduating an eight-person senior class. Of the 18-man roster, only five are upperclassmen, with 13 underclassmen including nine sophomores and four freshmen. The youth movement is real, but so is the talent.
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Sophomore guard Kevin McCarthy has emerged as a sharpshooter extraordinaire, averaging 16.0 points per game off the bench. In Army’s season opener against Maritime, McCarthy exploded for a career-high 18 points while setting personal bests in field goals made (7), three-pointers made (4), steals (3), and minutes (28). He matched his career-high with four three-pointers against St. Thomas.
Freshman guard Jackson Furman has made an immediate impact, also averaging 16.0 points off the bench in just 16.3 minutes per game. Furman’s 17-point collegiate debut was the most by an Army freshman in his first game in 11 seasons and the second-most since 2000. He followed that with 15 points in just 12 minutes against St. Thomas.
“It’ll be strange being on a flight with him, I don’t know if he’s going to be watching film or not,” Scheyer joked about traveling with Coach K. “Maybe my first time on a flight with him where he’s not watching film. Or he probably will be watching film, who knows?”
Rising Stars in the Starting Lineup
Sophomore forward Jacen Holloway has been a revelation in Army’s opening week. He finished Saturday’s game with a team-high and career-high 16 points while tying personal bests in field goals made (5), rebounds (4), and assists (2). The sophomore also set career-highs in free throws made (5) and minutes (29).
Senior guard Jorn Everson, a key bench player last season, has moved into the starting lineup and delivered immediately. Against St. Thomas, Everson posted a team-high 16 points while adding a career-high seven rebounds in 35 minutes—also a career-best. He recorded season-bests in field goals made (7), three-pointers made (2), and assists (3).
Junior forward Tate Laczkowski, the tallest player on Army’s roster, serves as the team’s primary rebounding threat. The junior has led the Black Knights in rebounding in both games, grabbing nine boards in his first career start against Maritime and eight against St. Thomas while logging a career-high 31 minutes.
The Chef Returns
Junior guard Ryan Curry returned to action on Saturday after missing the season opener, and his presence was immediately felt. In his first game back, Curry finished with 10 points, a team-high seven assists, and six rebounds. Last season, the junior played in all 33 of Army’s games, starting all but one, and averaged 12.5 points per game—third-highest on the team—while leading in assists and three-point percentage.
Team captain Jackson Mayo, who was named USMA’s Deputy Brigade Commander—the second-highest-ranked position in the Corps of Cadets—over the summer, started the season with six points and two three-pointers in Army’s opener.
The West Point Way
Army head coach Kevin Kuwik, in his third season at the helm, brings a unique perspective to Tuesday’s matchup. A former Butler, Davidson, and Ohio State assistant, Kuwik served 10 years in the Army Reserve as an engineering officer after graduating from Notre Dame and earned a Bronze Star during a tour of Iraq. For him, basketball and the military have long been inseparable.
Kuwik sees the connection between Krzyzewski’s coaching philosophy and the leadership principles taught at West Point.
“One of the things I love that he says is, I don’t look at myself as a coach, I look at myself as a leader,” Kuwik said. “And I think with what this place is trying to develop, and all the different paths my guys are going to end up taking when they go through life, whether you’re a teacher or a salesman or you stay an officer in the army, that’s a great thing to live by and maximize the impact of this place on the rest of your life.”
Duke’s Military DNA
The values Krzyzewski learned at West Point—trust, candor, everyday courage—filtered through Duke’s program for more than four decades and remain visible today under Scheyer’s leadership. The pledge Duke players make to each other before every season reflects those military principles: We look each other in the eye. We tell the truth. We show up on time. No excuses.
“Coach K every year would teach us about things he learned in training, in his time at West Point,” Scheyer said. “And it was really true for who coach was, but also our program through the years has replicated or represented, I think, the discipline that you see at West Point or in our military. And that definitely comes from his background.”
Spatola sees those same qualities in Scheyer, who led Duke to its first Final Four without Krzyzewski last April.
“There was not a player more reflective of a cadet, or whose personality would have translated better to a cadet more than Jon,” Spatola said. “He was a soldier in many ways, the way he lived his life. There was a way about him as a person that was very cadet-like. He was eager to please. He followed orders. He wanted to be that translator.”
A Celebration Beyond Basketball
Tuesday’s game represents far more than a David-versus-Goliath basketball matchup. It’s a celebration of service, sacrifice, and the enduring values that connect two programs separated by conference affiliation but united by shared principles.
There’s already an athletic leadership award at West Point named after Krzyzewski, awarded annually to a coach and cadet. But Tuesday’s ceremony will serve as a culminating acknowledgment of what he did for West Point and what West Point did for him.
“The way I look at it, he’s kind of the premier alum of Army basketball,” Kuwik said. “Obviously we’ve had generals and all kinds of successful, accomplished people, but when you talk about basketball and talk about West Point, and what he’s done—this brings his career full circle back to West Point and the lessons he learned.”
General Martin Dempsey (ret.), who teaches at Duke and serves as chairman of USA Basketball, sees the military influence throughout Krzyzewski’s career.
“When you’ve really distilled down what Coach K has done both at Duke and in his time with USA Basketball, he developed an uncommon degree of trust among the athletes themselves and between the athletes and him,” Dempsey said. “That’s very much what our military is built upon.”
The Matchup
Duke enters as a heavy favorite, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press preseason poll, No. 5 in the coaches poll, and No. 10 according to ESPN. The Blue Devils have been ranked in the top 10 at least once in 30 consecutive seasons—the longest active streak nationally—and have appeared in the AP top 25 for 46 consecutive weeks.
Duke has connected on at least one three-pointer in 1,266 straight games, the longest streak nationally. It has been more than 35 years since the Blue Devils were held without a three-point field goal—Dec. 30, 1989, versus Hawaii.
Army will need to overcome significant odds, but the Black Knights have youth, energy, and the home crowd behind them. More importantly, they’ll be playing for something bigger than themselves on a day that honors the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans.
Looking Ahead
The winner of Tuesday’s contest will carry momentum into the heart of the season. For Duke, the game represents an opportunity to honor their roots while continuing their pursuit of another national championship. For Army, it’s a chance to make history and prove they belong on the same court with college basketball’s elite.
But regardless of the final score, Tuesday night at Christl Arena will be about more than basketball. It will be about values, leadership, and the enduring bond between two programs connected by the man who learned to lead at West Point and built a dynasty at Duke.
As the national anthem plays and the ball is tipped, everyone in attendance will understand that some games transcend wins and losses. This is one of them.
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Go Army! Beat Navy! 🎖️⚔️
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