At the point where its season ended last year, Duke looks to break through to Jon Scheyer’s first Final Four as coach

By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)

NEWARK, N.J. — March 31, 2024. Dallas, Texas.

The only thing standing between Duke and a trip to Phoenix for the Final Four was an 11th-seeded NC State team that the Blue Devils had defeated by 15 points on the road earlier in the month.

But the road stopped there. Less than 48 hours after the best win of Jon Scheyer’s tenure as head coach, out-gutting a shorthanded Houston team in a gritty Sweet 16 win, the emotions did a full 180. Duke couldn’t get a single stop in the second half, allowing 55 points, and the Blue Devils’ season ended in Dallas.

A year later, and in the same shoes, Duke looks to return to the Final Four for the first time since Scheyer took the helm, this time as a No. 1 seed, taking on No. 2 seed Alabama.

After the loss, the Blue Devils turned the page immediately.

“Frankly, every decision we've made since March 31st of last year,” Scheyer said, “was to put ourselves in this same position and have the opportunity to capitalize.”

Fitting pieces around Cooper Flagg was the first challenge, although his supremely versatile skillset made it hardly a challenge at all. Nate Oats called Flagg’s versatility his biggest strength when asked what the first thing a coach looks to take away is. And Duke was able to return Tyrese Proctor alongside the talented freshman class of Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach; along with adding three important transfers into the fray in Sion James from Tulane, Maliq Brown from Syracuse, and Mason Gillis from Purdue.

Thirty-seven games later, the Blue Devils are 34-3 and a win away from the Final Four, with each piece contributing at a high level.

“Well, look, one, you don't take for granted how hard it is to get to an Elite 8, first and foremost,” Scheyer said. “So when you're in this spot, you have another opportunity to be back, you want to seize the moment.”

But he doesn’t look at last season as a mental roadblock for his team, and just wants Duke to continue preparing like it has all season long.

“I think the biggest thing to understand for our team and our players is you don't have to do anything different once you're here,” Scheyer said. “You have to do it at a high level, but you don't have to do anything different. Everything we've done this summer with our workouts, the mental preparation has been building mental toughness, and really preparing to be at your best when your best is required.”

As the top team in KenPom’s rankings, Duke ran through the regular season, with losses by five points to Kentucky, three to Kansas, and six to Clemson surrounding massive wins throughout the whole year. Despite losing Flagg and Brown to injuries in the ACC tournament, the Blue Devils finished the job in Charlotte, securing the second overall seed in the big draw.

And over the first weekend, they delivered on that, demolishing both Mount St. Mary’s and Baylor before coming to Newark and surviving a late push from familiar foe Caleb Love and Arizona. Flagg returned to the floor for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and is a non-negotiable for any sort of run as the favorite for National Player of the Year, but Brown’s return on Thursday gave four key minutes when Duke struggled with foul trouble.

“Look, he's not 100 percent. He's not close to it,” Scheyer said. “And ideally, he wouldn't have played in (Thursday’s) game. It was more of an emergency.”

An emergency that Duke has been able to alleviate throughout the year with the amount of depth and talent on the roster.

Finally, Scheyer has made the Final Four as a player and assistant coach, but has yet to make it to this stage as a head coach, and he understands what that means.

“It's the hardest game to win,” Scheyer said of the Elite 8. “You’re an inch away from the promised land, going to a Final Four. I think with that at stake, it brings out really high-level basketball, desperation, the competitive level. Obviously you're that close. And I've been on both sides, and it's heartbreaking when you lose, and it's the best feeling when you win.”