Duke headed back to Capital One Arena, just as the Blue Devils hoped
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Scheyer scheduled the D.C. game vs Michigan to help simulate NCAA conditions
- Scheyer mixed man, zone and fullcourt pressure to limit Siena and TCU
- Blue Devils head to Capital One Arena, awaiting St. John’s or Kansas
The question was posed to Duke freshman Nikolas Khamenia soon after the Blue Devils had beaten top-ranked Michigan last month in Washington, D.C.:
Do you think the game simulated what the NCAA Tournament will be like in March?
Duke coach Jon Scheyer had scheduled the nonconference game with that in mind, aware the Blue Devils could end up at Capital One Arena in the NCAAs. He and Michigan coach Dusty May agreed to play with the NCAA Tournament ball with its yellowy shine. It almost was like a dress rehearsal for March.
“But you don’t know what it feels like to play in the NCAA Tournament until you play in the NCAA Tournament,” a smiling Khamenia said after the 68-63 win over the Wolverines.
Khamenia knows now. So do Cameron and Cayden Boozer, and Dame Sarr, the other Duke freshmen.
“You can’t really replicate March Madness,” Khamenia said Saturday after Duke’s 81-58 win over TCU in the second round of the NCAA East Region. “It’s not the same as a regular-season game or the ACC Tournament. It’s just a different feeling.
“It’s super exciting. It’s something I dreamed about as a kid and I’m thankful for being about to get here and be a part of it.”
And now the Blue Devils, just as Scheyer hoped, are headed back to Capital One Arena. It’s not like the Devils, who took over the No. 1 spot in the polls after the Michigan win, will need a tour of the place or the players need to check out the sight lines on the court. The vibes should be good ones.
“Michigan has a great team and it definitely prepared us for games like today (in the NCAAs),” Khamenia said. “And you’ve got to be more comfortable in the arena, having been there before. You know it a little bit.”
Who’s next for Duke?
The Blue Devils’ matchup in the Sweet 16 game will be the winner of Sunday’s St. John’s-Kansas second-round NCAA game in San Diego. Duke faced Kansas in November in New York’s Madison Square Garden, taking a 78-66 victory over the Jayhawks.
“We played Kansas early on and St. John’s I’ve watched a little bit,” Cameron Boozer said Saturday. “Two great teams, play physical, two storied programs with great head coaches.”
Both head coaches are Hall of Famers — Rick Pitino of St. John’s and Bill Self of Kansas. Both have won national championships. Both have dealt with the strain of the NCAA Tournament, where one loss is a season-ender.
“I’m not sure who we’ll play, but I know we’ll be prepared for both,” Cam Boozer said.
That’s Scheyer’s job. He has made all the right moves in the second halves of Duke’s first two NCAA games, the Blue Devils limiting Siena to 22 points and TCU 24 points in the final 20 minutes.
‘We are that team’
Scheyer said after the Siena game that he had been outcoached by Saints coach Gerry McNamara, but Duke’s second-half strategy — different matchups in man, some zone, some fullcourt pressure — underscored how well he and his staff adjusted. The same with TCU and Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon.
It was mentioned to Boozer that Duke won’t have the same team that beat Michigan in DC. Sophomore center Pat Ngongba returned from his foot injury Saturday against TCU, but junior guard Caleb Foster remains sidelined indefinitely as he continues to rehab from foot surgery.
“We’ve been that team the whole time,” Boozer countered. “We’ve had a couple of guys down, but we have had to step up. Whether we have five guys, seven guys or nine guys, we’ve got to keep playing and keep being us,
“We figured out a way to win the ACC championship. We are that team.”
It’s a team that has been steeled by the Siena and TCU games. There was adversity — Duke trailed by 13 points in the second half against Siena, the No. 16 seed in the East Region and a 26-point underdog against Duke. There were some lulls in the Devils’ play. They had 17 turnovers against TCU.
“There’s just a different feeling associated with it,” Scheyer said of the NCAAs. “It’s the first time you’re playing where it could be the end of your season. It’s your first time playing where the other team doesn’t want to go home.
“I thought there were incredible lessons there for me, for our staff, for our program, but most importantly for our players.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
