First half struggle turns into second half savior as Duke basketball handles Texas

Inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational: Texas v Duke | Jacob Kupferman/GettyImagesThe Duke basketball program kicked off its 2025-26 season with a 75-60 victory over Texas in the first annual Dick Vitale Invitational. After rebounding became the Achilles' heel for the Blue Devils throughout the entirety of the first half, controlling the glass across the final 20 minutes became likely the biggest reason Duke was able to secure a win. The Blue Devils were dominated on the glass in the first half by the Longhorns, much to the confusion of many fans, given how dominant Duke was in the rebounding margin across its two exhibition games. Duke has surged in the second half in both of its exhibition matchups as well as its regular season opener against Texas, but early struggles might not be so easy to get away with down the road.

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