Tag: Jon Scheyer

The Blue Devils’ five most impressive wins so far in the 2023-24 season

March Madness resumes are built around a team’s best wins, so here’s a look at the biggest lines on Duke’s 2023-24 tournament resume so far.

With March Madness a month away, the Duke basketball team has to be keeping one eye on the bracket projections and how to strengthen their resume in the eyes of the selection committees.

The Blue Devils’ status as a tournament team is unquestioned thus far as the team sits 19-5 and 10-3 in conference play as of this week, but their exact status remains to be seen.

ESPN’s bracket projections have Duke as a No. 3 seed, but other sites like USA TODAY Sports and CBS Sports have the Blue Devils as a No. 4 seed.

The best way to make your case to the committee is with statement wins over great teams, and Duke has plenty of chances to make such statements with a road rematch with Wake Forest and home games against Virginia and North Carolina left on the schedule.

However, before those can happen, here’s a look at the most impressive feathers in Duke’s resume thus far.

Five takeaways from No. 9 Duke’s 77-69 win over Wake Forest

Taking a look at our five biggest takeaways from Duke’s 77-69 win over Wake Forest.

No players on Wake Forest’s roster were alive the last time the Wake Forest Demon Deacons beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

For another year, that streak will continue as No. 9 Duke outlasted Wake Forest 77-69 in a cagey affair to keep themselves in pursuit of the top spot in the ACC standings.

The last time Wake Forest won on the road against Duke, a halfway decent player named Tim Duncan was a senior for the Demon Deacons in 1997. Wednesday’s game was a close affair as Wake’s talented assortment of scoring threats gave Duke all it could handle.

The teams played a very physical, sloppy, and low-scoring first half for two of the best offensive teams in the ACC. The Demon Deacons shot just 28% in the first half, while the Blue Devils were 36% from the field. Neither team could find the touch from the 3-point range in the first half, with the Demon Deacons going just 4/19 and the Blue Devils going 3/14.

Mark Mitchell put Duke on his back in the second half, and foul trouble with Wake Forest big man Efton Reid made it nearly impossible for Wake to slow down Duke inside. Some timely shots and defense from Duke were enough to seal it away.

Duke completed their three-game homestand undefeated and will now embark on their Florida road trip. This trip will see them play road games against both Florida-based ACC schools and a trip to Winston-Salem for a rematch with these same Demon Deacons in 12 days.

Before we turn the page, here are our five takeaways from the game.

KenPom Update: Blue Devils stay just outside of top 10 after Boston College win

Duke remained a few spots outside the top 10 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings after Saturday’s game despite some notable SEC upsets.

Duke picked off a second straight win at home on Saturday, taking down Boston College for a 15-point win, but the second-half surge against the Eagles wasn’t enough to move Duke back into the top 10 of KenPom’s rankings.

The Blue Devils sit 13th in the site’s adjusted efficiency metric after Saturday’s games, narrowly ahead of the Kansas Jayhawks.

Two SEC teams off to great starts, Tennessee and Auburn, both lost to unranked conference foes on Saturday, but their strong campaigns to date meant both remained within the top 10 despite the defeats.

The Tigers actually rounded out the top five, remaining in fifth despite the loss to Florida. Houston, Purdue, Connecticut, and Arizona remained ahead of them in the first four spots.

As has been the case for most of the year, North Carolina remains the only ACC team ahead of Duke in the standings. The Tar Heels rank eighth after a Saturday win over Miami.

Wake Forest and Clemson slotted in as the next-highest teams in the conference at 29th and 32nd, respectively.

Scouting Report: Everything you need to know about Boston College ahead of Saturday’s game

Duke takes on Boston College in its second straight home game on Saturday afternoon. Here’s a quick primer on what you need to know about the Eagles before tipoff.

Duke’s home stand continues on Saturday with a second consecutive game in front of the Cameron Indoor crowd, this time against Boston College.

The Blue Devils have won 11 of their 13 games in front of the Durham crowd so far this season, with their losses coming against a top-10 Arizona squad and to Pittsburgh while battling injury.

However, with fewer than 10 games left on the regular-season schedule and a current spot as a No. 4 seed in March Madness (according to the latest Bracketology projections), the time is now to go on a run.

Duke hasn’t seen Boston College yet this season, so here’s a little rundown of what to think about before Saturday’s game tips off.

Where is Duke in the latest USA TODAY Sports bracket projection?

USA TODAY Sports released a new bracket prediction with less than a month remaining in the regular season, here’s who Duke would face in the latest projection.

The Blue Devils bounced back in a big way with a dominant victory over Notre Dame earlier this week, but according to the latest USA TODAY Sports bracket projections, there’s more work to be done if the Blue Devils want a top-three seed in the big dance.

According to the Friday projection, Duke slotted in as the No. 4 seed in the East region. The seeding reflects Duke’s place in most national rankings, as the Blue Devils are currently 15th in KenPom’s efficiency metric and 13th in ESPN BPI.

The Blue Devils would play automatic qualifier Samford in the opening round with either South Carolina or Louisiana Tech awaiting in the second round.

Defending national champion Connecticut sits atop the East region, with Purdue, Houston, and Tennessee claiming the other three No. 1 seeds.

After spending much of the season as a projected top seed, North Carolina slipped down to the No. 2 seed in the Midwest after losses to Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Midseason Awards for Duke Men’s Basketball: Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach have been stars

Handing out midseason awards for the 2023-2024 Duke basketball team.

Duke is fresh off the heels of a 71-53 win over Notre Dame to complete a season sweep of the Fighting Irish and now sits just 1.5 back of first place in the ACC behind only the North Carolina Tarheels and the Virginia Cavaliers.

It’s been an up-and-down season by Duke standards. Of course, they aren’t in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, but it’s reasonable to believe that one or two head-scratching Duke losses have impacted how we view them in totality.

That said, the Blue Devils have everything in front of them, and they have the offensive firepower to beat any team in the country on a given night. Other components must continue to come together, but Duke is a threat.

With over half of their ACC games done, the Blue Devils are just past the midseason point of their conference schedule, so now’s the perfect opportunity to hand out our midseason awards.

Check them out below.

Duke Coach Jon Scheyer Strongly Compliments Notre Dame

Pretty strong compliments from Duke’s head coach.

Notre Dame basketball is clearly transitioning in Micha Shrewsberry’s first year as head coach but that doesn’t mean they’re not improving.  The Irish were a heavy home underdog to No. 13 Duke on Saturday night but they didn’t play the part of an unworthy opponent.

The Irish actually jumped out to a nine-point lead, but it didn’t hold.  As has been an issue seemingly for years for Notre Dame, they couldn’t close the first half well, allowing Duke to end it on a 13-4 run.

In the second half Duke was largely in control but at various times when it appeared they were about to run away, Notre Dame would tighten up on defense and stay within an arms length.

Ultimately it was a 67-59 Duke victory but one that left Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer impressed with what Micha Shrewsberry is building in South Bend.  Below are a few of the highlights from Scheyer’s postgame press conference.

Razorbacks planning ‘White Out’ for Duke on Wednesday

It’ll be a ‘White Out’ Wednesday when Duke comes to town this week to battle the Razorbacks in Bud Walton Arena.

The game that has been hyped since the summer is finally here.

On Wednesday, the Duke Blue Devils will make their first ever trip to Fayetteville and Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas is planning a ‘White Out’ in the arena. This has done for games against Kentucky and Auburn before, but is unusual for a nonconference tilt.

Duke comes into the game ranked ninth in the country and 5-1 overall, with the only loss coming at the hands of then No. 12 Arizona, who is now ranked No. 3 in America.

The Blue Devils are coached by Jon Scheyer, a former player under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski who helped them win the 2010 national championship over Butler.

Arkansas last faced them in the 2022 Elite Eight, where Duke emerged with a 78-69 victory in San Francisco to make it to its 17th Final Four and 13th under Krzyzewski.

No. 1 2024 recruit Cooper Flagg commits to Duke

The 5-star forward announced his commitment on the cover of SLAM Magazine on Monday morning.

Duke basketball landed a commitment from five-star forward Cooper Flagg, 247Sports’ No. 1 prospect in the country for the 2024 class, on Monday.

Flagg announced his commitment on the cover of SLAM Magazine on Monday morning, which showed him sporting a Blue Devils jersey.

Flagg, initially a 2025 recruit who reclassified into 2024, plays for Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. He averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists this past season.

Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer now has the top 2024 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports. Duke also has commitments from five-star Isaiah Evans, five-star Kon Knueppel, and four-star Darren Harris.

Duke awards Jon Scheyer six-year extension as men’s basketball coach

The heir to legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to a 27-9 record and an ACC tournament title in his debut season.

Duke University and men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer agreed to a six-year contract extension to keep him in Durham through the 2028-29 season, as first reported by ESPN on Friday.

The second-year coach led the storied program to a 27-9 record a year ago, including victories in 14 of the Blue Devils’ 20 ACC games and a conference tournament title. The Blue Devils reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament before they lost to Tennessee.

Duke sits No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Scheyer had the unenviable task of following legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, who led Duke to five national championships over his 42 years as the program’s head coach.

Scheyer’s second season in Durham gets underway on November 6 against Dartmouth.