BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Jon Scheyer is aware of higher than most the stress that comes with sporting a Duke uniform. The highs really feel just a little greater, the lights brighter than they’d be for many.
“And when issues aren’t going as nicely, you’ll be able to really feel such as you’re so much worse than what you actually are,” stated the Duke head coach and former star guard. “While you lose within the ACC match, we lose our final regular-season sport, and it might probably really feel just like the world is ending just a little bit — although that is what all these guys got here again to do and got here again for is that this second proper right here.”
Only one week in the past, these Blue Devils had been nonetheless smarting from that five-point loss to North Carolina at residence within the regular-season finale and the next five-point loss to NC State within the ACC match. Middle Kyle Filipowski stated that he and his teammates can’t and shouldn’t really feel entitled to wins this time of yr, simply because they’re Duke. They needed to battle and claw for them, like they didn’t do a yr in the past of their NCAA Event second-round loss to Tennessee.
GO DEEPER
Marks: Duke must get harder — quick
And so, right here those self same Blue Devils sit, Candy 16-bound after an emphatic 93-55 win over No. 12 seed James Madison in Sunday’s South Area sport at Barclays Middle. Because of this gamers like Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor returned to high school. This sense, proper now.
“It’s what you dream of as a child,” Proctor stated.
Mentioned Filipowski: “We realized our lesson enjoying final yr. We didn’t need to repeat that.”
JARED McHIM 🕺🕺
🔥 30 burger with 11 minutes to go
🔥 Most 1H factors by any participant on this tourney
🔥 Most 3pt FGM in an NCAA Event by a Duke participant (8) pic.twitter.com/azdmyZ9b0H
— Duke Males’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 24, 2024
So, fourth-seeded Duke jumped on James Madison proper out of the gate and almost doubled up the Dukes by halftime. Jared McCain turned the primary freshman with 30 factors and 0 turnovers in an NCAA Event sport for the reason that subject expanded to 64 in 1985. He completed with a career-high-tying eight made 3-pointers. After only one shot try towards Vermont within the first spherical, Filipowski stuffed the stat sheet with 14 factors, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, two steals and one block. As a workforce, it was about as clear a sport as you can ask for in an atmosphere like this — the Blue Devils shot higher than 50 % from the sphere, assisted on 22 of their 33 made baskets and turned the ball over simply six occasions within the sport.
“I don’t know if we anticipated this,” admitted Scheyer afterward.
However he did know his workforce could be higher than it was when it ended the common season. The gamers and the coaches alike discuss typically about how this sport can humble you. It did in these losses to NC State and UNC (although, because it seems, each of these groups had been additionally Candy 16-good.)
“The silver lining in that (ACC match loss) was that it gave us per week to work on ourselves, to look within the mirror,” Scheyer stated. “I’m happy with our workforce for simply sticking to the work.”
That work included one-on-one conversations in addition to team-wide discuss. Scheyer wished to determine the place his guys had been, mentally, earlier than additionally understanding what went flawed on the court docket in these two losses. The protection had been fairly strong, however the offense damage the protection. How may they enhance their connectivity? Their ball motion? How may they be taught from two robust losses however not let these two robust losses outline them?
Scheyer stated after the sport that he felt Sunday was the Blue Devils’ greatest passing efficiency of the season. Filipowski stated the important thing to the sport was Duke’s protection; JMU scored 14 of their first 17 factors towards Wisconsin on Friday off of turnovers and in transition. The Blue Devils didn’t need the Dukes to do what they did greatest, in order that they needed to set the tone early and sometimes.
“And I do know we had guys that had been on hearth tonight too,” Filipowski stated.
Nobody is aware of what the longer term will maintain for this specific Duke workforce, however no one essentially noticed this efficiency coming, both. Now, the Blue Devils will tackle the winner of Houston/Texas A&M in Dallas subsequent weekend for a date within the Elite Eight. The lows had been low, sure — however they’re additionally prior to now now, with the highs on deck.
“It’s a must to be pleased about the dangerous moments that come your means,” Scheyer stated. “In case you deal with them the appropriate means, it might probably put you ready the place you’re much more prepared. I assumed that’s what it did within the Vermont sport and tonight towards James Madison.”
(Photograph of Jared McCain: Elsa / Getty Pictures)