On November 27, 2019, the Duke Blue Devils hosted the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Cameron Indoor Stadium for a regular season college basketball game. The Blue Devils entered the game ranked number one in both the AP poll and the Coaches Poll, while the Lumberjacks had failed to place on the poll. Duke was heavily favored to win, with a Las Vegas sportsbook putting them 27.5 points ahead of the Lumberjacks.

The game began in favor of the Blue Devils with a five-point lead in the first half, though their players strugged against the Lumberjacks' unexpectedly strong defensive capabilities. In the second half, the Lumberjacks managed to tie the game 81-81 and force overtime. The tie remained until four seconds before the end of the overtime period, where Lumberjacks forward Nathan Bain scored a two-point breakaway layup, breaking the tie 85-83 and defeating the Blue Devils.

The game was called the "biggest victory in program history" by the Associated Press. It was the largest Division I college basketball upset by point spread in 15 seasons. As a consequence of losing the game, the Blue Devils fell to number ten in the AP poll, eventually completing the season ranked number 11 with an overall season record of 25-6. Stephen F. Austin remained unranked in the polls and ended the season 28-3, winning the Southland Conference.

Background The Duke Blue Devils entered the game with a 6-0 record in the 2019-20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Duke Blue Devils were one of the most historically successful teams in NCAA college basketball, having appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, more commonly known as March Madness, for 25 consecutive years up until 2019, the fifth longest streak in division history. In addition, no team outside of the Atlantic Coast Conference was able to defeat Duke in 150 games at home. The team featured center Vernon Carey Jr., who would be named NABC Freshman of the Year after the season's conclusion, along with point guard Tre Jones, who would be voted as the ACC Player of the Year. The Blue Devils' head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, had held the position since 1980, and was regarded as one of the best college basketball coaches of all time.

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks entered the game with a 4-1 record, coming off of a loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Lumberjacks were due to face the Blue Devils as their only ranked opponent, since the Southland Conference had mainly comprised traditionally small Texas and Louisiana teams. Stephen F. Austin attempted multiple times to schedule a game with Duke, going so far as to have their head coach, Kyle Keller, personally write a letter to Mike Kryzewski after he initially expressed interest in playing against the Lumberjacks. Eventually, when the game was finally scheduled, Duke University paid Stephen F. Austin $85,000 to play in their stadium.

Game summary The game began at 9:00 EST at Cameron Indoor Stadium, operating at maximum capacity with 9,314 people in attendance. The Blue Devils opened the game with a 15-point lead in the first half with 9:42 remaining on the clock. By the second period, however, the Lumberjacks managed to close the point deficit and tie the game, forcing a period of overtime.

In the final seconds of overtime, Tre Jones attempted a bounce pass to power forward Matthew Hurt which landed in between his feet and on the ground. Lumberjacks forward Gavin Kensmil snatched the ball after a short scuffle and passed it to Nathan Bain, who surpassed two Blue Devils defenders while running across the court to score a buzzer-beater layup for two points, breaking the tie 85-83 and securing a win for the Lumberjacks. He later said that he passed out after the shot was made.

According to Lumberjacks forward Nathan Bain, he tried to play as aggressively as possible to pressure Duke's players and wear them out. The Lumberjacks focused on making most of their points from the two-point area, scoring 64 out of 85 points in the paint and only making two three-point shots. The Blue Devils were led by Vernon Carey Jr., who scored 20 points and gained 11 rebounds in 32 minutes played; however he went 4-for-11 from the free-throw line and missed 10 out of 18 field goals, having attempted no three-point shots. The Blue Devils made 11 free throws out of 24 attempted, missing 16 free throws; the most missed at home by Duke since 2008. Aftermath The result of the game was almost immediately recognized as one of the most improbable wins in the regular college basketball season, since the game was the largest upset by point spread in 15 seasons at 27.5 points. The loss was Duke's first in 150 non-conference home games, the longest then-active streak in Division I college basketball. Their previous loss to a non-conference opponent at home was to the St. John's Red Storm in the 2000 season. The Devils fell to No. 10 in the AP poll held a few days after as a consequence of losing the game, while the Lumberjacks went unranked.

The Blue Devils finished the season at number 11 in the AP poll, completing the season 25-6, the fourth best record in their conference. They qualified for the ACC men's basketball tournament held in 2020, though the tournament was cancelled after the second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic before Duke played a game. The Lumberjacks finished the season 28-3, never managing to reach a spot on the Coaches' Poll or the AP poll. Their respective tournament, the 2020 Southland Conference tournament, was also cancelled.

A few months before the game, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas and severely damaged Lumberjacks forward Nathan Bain's home, forcing Bain's family to create a GoFundMe page to raise money for its reconstruction. After Nathan Bain and his game-winning shot made news across the country, the GoFundMe page received about $117,000 in donations within two days. The Lumberjacks basketball team, along with Stephen F. Austin University as a whole, distributed meals to the homeless after they returned to Nacogdoches, Texas.

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