Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje looks like Duke's next star frosh, LSU debuts new-look roster in first CBB scrimmages

Duke’s Dame Sarr and Alabama’s Brandon Garrison were also among the players who stood out. Here is what you need to know from Thursday’s exhibition games

The 2026-27 college basketball season begins in just over three weeks, meaning the top programs around the country will be playing in various open (and closed-door) scrimmages throughout the next month in preparation for the season. A handful of teams played their first scrimmage of the season on Thursday, including Duke, Alabama and LSU. Duke faced Belmont on Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, which gave college basketball fans a glimpse of a roster expected to open the season ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. Furthermore, it was the first look at several newcomers on the roster, including Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and incoming five-star freshman big man Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.

Boumtje Boumtje stole the show and showed why he should be the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. He finished with a team-high 19 points in 22 minutes and shot 7 of 11 from the field during the Blue Devils' 102-62 win over Belmont. Duke was without veteran guard Caleb Foster — the projected starter at point guard — for its first exhibition game due to an ankle injury. LSU's roster construction under Will Wade, who is returning for his second stint as the Tigers' coach, has been under a microscope this offseason. For the past several weeks,