Duke’s Scheyer Determined Following Elite Eight Heartbreak

The NCAA Tournament may be over, and the world of college basketball has shifted into offseason mode, but that doesn’t mean the Duke basketball program and its fans have forgotten about the soul-crushing way the Blue Devils’ 2025-26 season ended.

Duke struggled with injuries to Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba throughout the offseason, but it still looked like one of the best teams in the nation. And for the majority of its Elite Eight contest against 2-seed UConn, the 1-seed Blue Devils looked in full control.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks to a referee March 21, 2026 during the second half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game with TCU at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Duke Ends Season in Heartbreak for Second Consecutive Year

Duke looked well on its way to cementing a second straight trip to the Final Four, holding a 44-29 lead over the Huskies heading into the halftime locker room. For a good portion of the second half, Scheyer and Co. also maintained control.

Advertisement

The Blue Devils held a 17-point lead with just over 17 minutes to go, an 11-point lead with under eight to play, and a five-point lead with under two to play. Then, in the final seconds, everything went in the opposite direction.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) goes to the basket against UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Duke held a 72-70 lead after Silas Demary Jr. hit one of two free throws. With 10 seconds to go, all the Blue Devils had to do was inbound the ball and wait to get fouled. It didn’t go according to plan.

Following the inbound, the ball eventually found rookie Cayden Boozer, who attempted to float…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dukes-scheyer-determined-following-elite-173001820.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-04-14 17:30:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.