Duke Finally Burnt After Playing with Fire Throughout NCAA Tournament

The Blue Devils were living dangerously throughout the March Madness

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) and UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) go for a loose ball in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Duke got burnt.

The Blue Devils played with fire throughout the NCAA Tournament – granted the team was playing shorthanded during the first weekend due to injuries – but Sunday’s collapse against UConn felt like it had been coming for a while.

Jon Scheyer’s trailed by double digits in the second half of its Round of 64 matchup against Siena. It trailed in the second half in the Round of 32 against TCU. Trailed by ten points in the second half against St. John’s in the Sweet 16.

Each time it used its size and talent to rally and win but it was just the opposite against UConn.

Against the Huskies, the Blue Devils trailed 2-0 and never were behind on the scoreboard until there were 0.3 seconds left following Braylon Mullins’ 3-pointer to win the game.

Duke’s lead was a big as 19 points and it was a 15-point margin at halftime.

It’s the cruel side of March.

The Blue Devils were viewed as the most vulnerable top seed entering the tournament and, to an extent, they proved that. Despite Florida being the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated, Duke was in a battle each time it took the floor in the NCAA Tournament.

It never cruised in a game until the first half on Sunday and that might have been its problem. Duke looked like it relaxed in the second half, like it did in the first half against Siena when players said following the comeback victory that they thought it would be a “cakewalk”.

After a dominant first half, Duke thought its ticket was punched to the Final Four, but UConn had other plans and wrecked a dream season for the Blue Devils.

Cayden Boozer admitted after the game that it felt like the team lost its “competitive edge” in the second half, another indictment on head coach Jon Scheyer’s preparation at halftime.

After back-to-back crushing NCAA Tournament losses with superstar freshmen, it’ll be a long and painful wait until November for the Blue Devils.