Picture this: your team is up 5 points with a minute left, and the other team gets a technical foul called on them. Or this: you go up 15 at the halftime break, a mark that 1-seeds were 134-0 from. After a second-half rally, you then get to a point where you’re up 2 points, with possession of the ball, in the double bonus, and there’s 10 seconds left. Or this: you’re playing an 11-seed with a chance to go to the Final Four, and you’re up 6 at halftime.
Would you believe me if I told you that Duke lost all 3 of these scenarios? In fact, those are the last 3 NCAA Tournament losses for the Blue Devils in the last 3 seasons (Houston in 2025, UConn in 2026, NC State in 2024). To make things even worse, Duke only lost 4 times in the 2025-2026 season, and they led by at least 13 points in all 4 of those games. Well-coached basketball teams know how to close out games when they are ahead, and that is something that Jon Scheyer’s teams have repeatedly failed to do in the last 3 seasons.
Advertisement
Is it time for the Blue Devils to move on?
MORE: Under the radar NFL free agent signing keeps NFC contender potent… and dangerous
The Weight of Following a Legend
Before you can answer that question, you have to consider the path that Jon Scheyer took to become the face of the program for Duke.
After playing at Duke from 2006-2010, Scheyer became an Assistant Coach in 2014, a post that he would hold until Coach K’s retirement in 2022. Scheyer was Coach K’s HAND-PICKED successor, even though there were many other viable candidates who had previously played and coached at Duke, and the university could have written a blank check to get anyone they wanted on the open market.
Advertisement
Coach K was the cult of personality that embodied everything Duke basketball, and the university honored his succession plan, even though Scheyer had no head coaching experience.
Results vs Expectations
But to whom much is given, much is expected.
Scheyer’s first four seasons as the Blue Devils’ head man have gone: Round of 32 / Elite Eight / Final Four / Elite Eight. On the surface, those results are not bad at all, and that’s actually more NCAA Tournament wins than in the last 4 seasons where Coach K was at the helm (although, to be fair, one of those seasons had a cancelled NCAA Tournament, and the Blue Devils were likely to be a 2 or 3-seed).
Advertisement
But following a legend is very difficult — just ask Kalen DeBoer, Jerod Mayo, and Hubert Davis. Because of the state of the program when he took over (one of the best in college basketball), it will be expected of Scheyer to maintain this level of dominance in his tenure as head coach.
The Hubert Davis Comparison
Ironically, one of the best peers to compare Scheyer to is his former neighbor on Tobacco Road, Hubert Davis.
Both were coaching at their alma mater, replacing coaching legends at their programs, and both were given the task of maintaining “blue blood” status at one of the country’s biggest basketball powerhouses.
Advertisement
But for UNC, the success did start to falter. The Tar Heels missed the tournament in 2023, reached the Sweet 16 in 2024, and snuck into the First Four in 2025 before blowing a 19-point lead to VCU in the Round of 64 this season.
Because of the repeated head-scratching losses and underperforming squads, UNC let go of Davis after this season, making the tough choice to fire someone who was in “the family” for Tar Heel basketball.
A Dangerous Trend Emerging
So, at the end of the day, will Duke move on from Scheyer?
I don’t think they will this season. But they’re inching dangerously towards a “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” situation. Scheyer’s teams can’t keep having these monumental collapses on the biggest stages, or it will come down straight on his head.
Advertisement
The Clock Is Ticking
But so far in his tenure, the Blue Devils are still one of the premier teams in college basketball, and only UConn (ironically) has won more NCAA Tournament games in that timeframe.
The Duke Blue Devils are still a national brand and have a top-5 recruiting class year after year. But at some point, that roster has to get coached up to finish basketball games—and if Scheyer’s teams can’t figure it out, he’s going to end up just like Hubert Davis.
#Dukes #college #basketball #program #problem #fixed