Jon Scheyer on Duke basketball’s defensive growth before UNC rematch

Jon Scheyer didn’t shy away from how he felt after Duke basketball’s first meeting of the year with UNC on Feb. 7 at the Smith Center.

“I was really disappointed with how I had our guys prepared looking back,” Scheyer said during a March 5 media availability. “And even though we were winning and had the lead, I didn’t think we defended well in that game or defended the way that we’re capable of.”

The No. 1 Blue Devils (28-2, 16-1 ACC) saw a 41-29 halftime lead dwindle down the stretch, as the Tar Heels closed the game on a 9-0 run, capped with a Seth Trimble go-ahead 3-pointer to give UNC its first and only lead of the night. The Tar Heels outscored Duke 42-27 across the final 20 minutes, including matching Duke’s 18 second half points in the paint after being held to four in the first half.

“We’ve been a team that has done a really good job protecting the paint, and that’s a number of different ways,” Scheyer said. “… We were on our heels too much. And that’s on me, ultimately. And we have to be more aggressive, and we have to do a better job of just making a stand and allowing them to be in the paint. And credit them. They did a way better job than we did, especially in that second half of establishing the paint with a lot of post-ups and doing that. And then I think that led to good success for them once they established that.”

Since the loss, Duke has gone 7-0, including a win over the then-No. 1 team in Michigan in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 21. The Blue Devils have come in as the No. 1 team in both the USA Today and AP poll for back-to-back weeks, and have already secured the ACC’s regular season title for the second-straight season.

All the while, Duke has outscored its last seven opponents by an average of 24 points.

And since that loss, Scheyer has seen growth exactly where he was most displeased: on the defensive end.

“Watching that game back, I think our defense is just in a much different place,” he said. “… Our defense has been there in different moments. I think the defense, along with the offensive guys, is trusting the pass, playing to our strengths, being able to put it together on both ends. And that’s ultimately what you have to do to be a championship team.”