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

Oct 9, 2026 at 11:29 am ET • 6 min read

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.

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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, LSU has listed just four players on the team's website due to almost half of the roster being in eligibility limbo because of holding out for a fifth year, or international players who hadn't been cleared to play.

The Tigers played just seven players in the 63-60 win over McNeese, which included former UCLA star Donovan Dent making his debut with his new team.

With the first wave of scrimmages in the books, here are the biggest takeaways from Thursday.

Will JBB be Duke's best player in 2027?

After watching Boumtje Boumtje make his debut in a college uniform, it's very obvious why he should be the consensus favorite to go No. 1 in 2028. Boumtje Boumtje, who doesn't turn 18 until May 30 and will play the entire 2026-27 season at 17 years old, is not eligible for next summer's draft due to the NBA's age requirement, which requires players to be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. Boumtje Boumtje isn't the only newcomer in college basketball who falls under that umbrella, as Texas' Marcus Spears Jr. and UCLA's Nikola Kusturica will each have to play at least two seasons of college basketball before declaring for the draft.

One of the top position battles coming into the season was who Duke would start at power forward next to veteran big man Patrick Ngongba II, with Boumtje Boumtje and fellow five-star Cameron Williams serving as the top contenders to occupy that spot. Duke coach Jon Scheyer started Boumtje Boumtje in its first scrimmage, which is a strong indication that he has the inside track to hold onto that starting spot.

Boumtje Boumtje had a complete game against Belmont that showcased a little bit of everything in his game. Above all else, what stood out about his performance is how clean his shot mechanics look for a 7-foot-2 big man who is just 17 years old. He attempted five 3-pointers against Belmont and knocked down two of them. He also finished with two blocks, two steals and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes of action.

Duke has arguably the deepest roster in college basketball. Still, it wouldn't be surprising to see Boumtje Boumtje, who was named preseason ACC Freshman of the Year by CBS Sports, emerge as Duke's best player at some point this season. He is far too talented not to play him at least 25-30 minutes per game, and maybe even more.

Brandon Garrison looks like a great fit at Alabama

Alabama opened the scrimmage cycle with a 111-93 win over Furman behind a team-high 19 points from Amari Allen. Despite being without Aden Holloway — who is serving a suspension following an incident earlier this spring — the Crimson Tide posted 111 points and showcased why the program will be one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country under Nate Oats.

One player who stood out in particular was Brandon Garrison, who came off the bench and finished with 15 points, four rebounds and a block. Garrison, who played at Kentucky the last two seasons, didn't miss a shot (7-for-7) and looked like a perfect fit in Alabama's system.

After the game, Oats gave Garrison high praise and said that Garrison may be the "best passing big man" he's coached.

"He can really handle the ball," Oats said. "He may be the best passing big I've ever coached. He can really pass. We will try and use that a little bit more."

LSU still has hurdles to clear before its season-opener

LSU went with a seven-man rotation during its first scrimmage of the year against McNeese. The Tigers received good news before the game when Michael Ružić, one of five international players Wade recruited this offseason, was ruled eligible for the 2026-27 season. He finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds in 34 minutes.

Ružić started next to Divine Ugochukwu, Donovan Dent, Abdi Bashir Jr. and Mouhamed Dioubate. Notable players who didn't play who Wade recruited this offseason: Skyy Clark, RJ Luis Jr., Saliou Niang, Brice Dessert and Gilad Levy.

LSU still has hurdles to clear before the season opens up next month. Clark, Dent, and Luis are part of five-for-five lawsuits, while Niang, Dessert, and Levy are international players who hope to get cleared in time before the start of the season. Wade has said himself that his roster building has been "unconventional." If all those players are ruled eligible, LSU will be in a position to compete in the top half of the SEC. However, time is running out for that to happen.

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Is Dame Sarr ready for a Year 2 breakout?

While Boumtje Boumtje was the player from Duke's roster who stood out the most, Sarr also had a very strong showing. The former five-star forward started 30 of 38 games for Duke last season and looked primed for a larger role this year.

Sarr looked noticeably stronger and more aggressive in hunting his shot. Sarr was used mostly as a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist during his freshman season at Duke, with 133 of his 208 total field goal attempts last season coming from beyond the arc.

Although it's a very small sample size — and a scrimmage at that — what really stood out is how much contact Sarr drew. He got to the free-throw line a team-high 10 times and finished with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sarr attempted 62 free throws total and only connected on 53.2% of those attempts. Improved free-throw volume and knocking them down at a higher clip will do wonders for his game. Sarr looks like a potential riser as a 3-and-D 6-foot-8 wing that could put himself in the conversation to be a first-round pick in 2027.

In my way-too-early 2027 mock draft, I had Sarr going No. 26 overall. He could find himself getting picked somewhere in the teens if this rise and improvement continue, especially because the 2027 class as a whole lacks true consensus. Sarr isn't going to post eye-popping stats this season because of how deep Duke's roster is, but his archetype is coveted at the NBA level.