Why Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer is still trying to get a grasp of his team
Duke coach Jon Scheyer was dissecting the Blue Devils’ 82-75 victory over SMU on Saturday when he paused for a second.
“What are we, 15-1?” he said.
“I mean, we’re 15-1 and these guys have made big-time plays, making the stops when required,” he added. “This team has shown great character when it matters most.”
The No. 6 Blue Devils are 15-1 overall while winning all four of their ACC games. But 16 games into the season, Scheyer also concedes he’s still trying to get a full grasp of his team and the capabilities it has, the possibilities before it.
He has changed up the starting lineups and rotations. He has given some players larger roles than others. He has been looking for the right fit.
“We have to be steadier,” Scheyer said. “We’re a little bit like a rollercoaster ride.”
Starts with defense
Let’s start with the defense. In the early part of the season, the Devils were relentlessly forcing opponents into rushed shots and mistakes. Teams would come away shooting 35% against Duke’s stifling man-to-man.
But Texas Tech shot 55% in gaining the 82-81 upset win in New York City before Christmas. Since Duke’s ACC schedule began, Georgia Tech has shot 54%, Florida State 53%, Louisville 40% and then SMU 55.6% from the field in Saturday’s game.
Duke has employed some zone defense to slow teams down and try to disrupt rhythm, and did again in the second half Saturday although not as effectively against SMU.
What’s different?
“I don’t think it’s much different with us,” Scheyer said. “I think it’s different with who you play, too. We’ve played some really good shooting teams.”
The Mustangs did not have point guard Boopie Miller, their leading scorer who was out with the flu Saturday. But freshman forward Jared Toombs responded with 23 points and senior guard B.J. Edwards had 20 as SMU made 30 of 53 shots from the field and outscored Duke 28-24 in the paint.
Duke forced 21 turnovers worth 21 points, but the Mustangs, who were averaging an ACC-high 90.1 points a game, made shots. They had just 70 in a 74-70 loss at Clemson, but that was after putting up 97 points against North Carolina in a 13-point win in Dallas.
“Look, SMU has a powerful offense,” Scheyer said. “Obviously, Miller makes them even more dangerous. But what happens is, Miller goes out and Toombs is in more and Toombs goes off. So there’s always an effect when a good player is out.”
“Bottom line, even when we defended well, (SMU) beat us in the paint, and they beat us in the rebounding battle, yet they still shot 50% from 3.”
‘I think it’s maturity’
The Blue Devils won Saturday by making all the key plays in the final minutes of the game. Isaiah Evans nailed a 3. Patrick Ngongba, who had 17 points, stepped to the line and made two free throws and then Cameron Boozer did the same after there had been some misses by the Devils.
Ngongba had foul trouble Tuesday at Louisville and did little in the win. Not Saturday.
“He stepped up big time today,” Duke’s Dame Sarr said. “He was very aggressive. He made very clutch free throws. He did a great job defensively. He was awesome today.”
Ngongba had a game-long battle with SMU center Samet Yigitoglu, listed at 7-2 and 270 pounds.
The Blue Devils do not seem to be rattled in tight moments. But if there are too many tight moments, the other team might make the plays and walk away the winner — cue in Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden.
“There’s obviously things we have to clean up and do better,” Scheyer said. “To me, it’s mentality, and obviously there’s some X-and-O strategic things we’ve got to help them with as coaches. I think it’s maturity. I think it’s learning how to play with each other.”
With that said, the Blue Devils now will pack up to go west. It’s their turn to make the California trip and play Cal’s Golden Bears on Wednesday and then at Stanford on Saturday in a pair of ACC games played 2,800 miles from Durham.
“I love coaching this group, man. I just want us to grow faster,” Scheyer said. “We’re halfway through, and I want us to not have to learn from a loss, from a big setback. We put ourselves in a position (Saturday) where that can happen.”
But, Duke won anyway, to move to 15-1.
This story was originally published January 11, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
