Jon Scheyer breaks down Duke’s final play in loss vs. UConn

After an embarrassing collapse vs. UConn, Duke coach Jon Scheyer discussed the final possession that led to the Blue Devils’ 73-72 loss to the Huskies.

“Yeah, we just have to secure it, right?” Scheyer said postgame. “We got it. They had a foul. I was ready for a timeout. We’ve just got to hold on.

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“It’s easy to look at that play — I look at every play that happened, especially in that second half, this is not about one play. It’s about every play that put us in that position, and that’s what you don’t want to do, where one play something could happen. For me, look, it’s going to be tough, but it’s not going to be on one play.”

Scheyer is right that the loss did not hinge on one play; it was a series of errors that cost Duke the game, but the game’s final play also represented a second half full of miscues.

Poor decision-making cost Duke dearly

After building a 15-point lead at the half, Duke’s collapse was the result of poor decision-making. Six quick fouls in the first six minutes of the second half turned the Blue Devils’ defense into a revolving door. UConn’s next 10 points came in the paint as part of a 10-3 run that cut Duke’s lead in half. Later in the game, the Huskies would go on a 7-0 run, all scored in the paint, bringing the lead within two.

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Hand in hand with Duke’s unnecessary fouls was the team’s lack of ball security.

The Blue Devils turned the ball over eight times while forcing just one by the Huskies. That kind of ball-handling is a recipe for failure. The turnover that led to Braylon Mullins’ shot that sank the hearts of Duke fans everywhere was only one of a number of poor decisions that contributed to this loss.

The Boozer brothers alone contributed five of those turnovers, failing to secure the ball as UConn slowly but surely made their comeback bid on the back of Tarris Reed Jr.

“We just gave them easy baskets,” Scheyer said. “We just had to secure the ball better, and that’s a recipe to put yourself in that position. That was the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-30 16:57:00

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