Jon Scheyer is no stranger to the pressure of leading Duke basketball. As the successor to the legendary Coach K, he has delivered. In only a few seasons, he has already established himself as more than qualified for the job, guiding Duke to an ACC Tournament championship, an Elite Eight appearance, and consecutive 27-win campaigns. And with March Madness right around the corner, Scheyer now has his sights on leading the Blue Devils deeper into the tournament this year. But as all great coaches do, he knows more work must be done.
In an appearance on the Field of 68: After Dark podcast, Scheyer was candid about Duke’s top concerns going into the NCAA Tournament. “There are two things,” he said. “one, it’s just the consistently strong rebounding and the finishing of possessions that you’re going to do in the tournament. By the way, if you look at the statistics, we’ve done a really good job in that area, but I think we can be better.”
That statement shows his hunger for perfection even when Duke is already among the best rebounding teams in the nation this season. The Blue Devils have been dominant on the glass, averaging 38.5 rebounds while owning an 8.2 rebounding margin—among the best in Division I hoops. A recent example of that came in the 80-62 victory over Virginia when they steamrolled the Cavaliers in rebounding, 41-21.
Another aspect Scheyer pointed out was half-court execution, which is key when March rolls around. He went on, “The second part, for me, is just what any team has to do to win a March: it’s half-court execution. That can be in game situations, whether it’s at the end of a half, the end of a game, key situations, or just the fact that it becomes more of a half-court game when you’re trying to win a March.”
It’s important because, in tournament games, precise offensive sets and clutch decision-making are non-negotiable. Duke at times has put up some very impressive offensive numbers — 81 points per game on 48.6% shooting — but when the competition has been elite they have struggled at the same moments.
This is a developing story…
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