Duke men’s basketball team achieved a notable 82-69 victory over the University of North Carolina at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Postgame, head coach Jon Scheyer emphasized the team’s resilience and strategic execution. He lauded contributions from Caleb Foster and Maliq Brown, while underlining the necessity of a “hunter” mentality for postseason success.
Key Takeaways From Jon Scheyer
“I thought we weathered the storm, a lot of guys made winning plays,” Scheyer said after the game.
Scheyer was satisfied with the team’s ability to withstand North Carolina’s challenge, with a variety of players stepping up.
“For Caleb and he doesn’t play last game and he came back with a big time attitude, he really attack practice the last couple days and the pressure was bothering us and because of how he responded and practice you know I just had a lot of confidence to put him in,” Scheyer said.
Scheyer highlighted Foster’s response.
“His attitude was like he just had such a competitiveness about him,” Scheyer said.
Scheyer also praised Brown.
“Malik’s a gamer you know he just he has this special, I don’t know like to shoot those threes in that moment after being off,” Scheyer said. “The one thing with being off this, this amount of time he has shot a ton like he’s shooting more than he ever has.”
Scheyer commented on managing Cooper Flagg’s foul trouble after the star freshman was called for three fouls in the first half.
“I just told him to be aggressive just not to be for a lack of a better term I said handsy you know you can’t play with your hands you have to play with your body,” Scheyer said. “Cooper, the way he impacts every aspect of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen in college you know for a long time, and that’s what he does.”
Regarding the team’s broader focus, Scheyer said he wanted his guys to be the hunter.
KEEP READING: What Can’t Cooper Flagg Do? Breaking Down His Versatile Impact
“We didn’t want to be the hunted, the thing we done a great job of is being the hunter and we have to continue to do that,” Scheyer said.
As Duke advances to the ACC Tournament, Scheyer reiterated the team’s unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and a relentless competitive spirit.
“We have to be ready to go,” Scheyer said.
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