How Duke's Scheyer Has Bounced Back From Two Epic Collapses

The Duke basketball program is having about as good an offseason as it possibly could have asked for, as the Blue Devils will enter the 2026-27 campaign as a consensus top-three team in the sport with likely more depth than any squad in the country.

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff will look to bounce back from two devastating NCAA Tournament losses in a row. These weren't just tough beats for the Blue Devils, but two of the most epic collapses in NCAA Tournament history...consecutively

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer yells down court Saturday, March 21, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Collapses

1-seed Duke falling to 2-seed UConn in this past season's Elite Eight is still fresh in the Blue Devil faithful's minds everywhere. After entering the halftime locker room with a 44-29 lead in full control, everything came crashing down in the final seconds.

The Blue Devils held a 17-point lead with just over 17 minutes left, an 11-point lead with under eight minutes, and a five-point lead with under two minutes, but one colossal error sent the program home in shock.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) shoots the ball over Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

UConn guard Silas Demary knocked down a free throw with 10 seconds to go to make the tally 72-70 in favor of Duke. All the Blue Devils had to do was inbound the ball and wait to get fouled. Then, on the inbound, Cayden Boozer eventually had it and tried to float a pass to Patrick Ngongba over halfcourt.

The ball was tipped back in the Huskies' favor and eventually found Braylon Mullins, who drilled a three-pointer from the logo with practically no time left. Duke would lose 73-72. Before that defeat, NCAA Tournament 1-seeds that held a lead of 15 points or more at half were 134-0.

UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) drives to the basket Monday, April 6, 2026, against the Michigan Wolverines during the NCAA men's basketball tournament national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In 2025, the Blue Devils fell apart against Houston in the Final Four. After holding a 66-59 lead with under a minute and a half to go, Duke was outscored 11-1 over that final span to cement another stunning breakdown.

Before that loss for Duke, teams in the NCAA Tournament that had a higher field goal percentage, more free throw attempts, more steals, more assists, and fewer turnovers than their opponent were 335-0.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

How Jon Scheyer Handles It

With two stunning fall-aparts in a row, Scheyer will, unfortunately, be tagged with that "collapse" name likely until he wins a National Championship. He spoke on how he deals with it and rebuilds for the next season.

“You either can make an excuse and rationalize or you can look in the mirror and think about how can we build off of what we’ve done cause we’ve done really good things… You’re that close it hurts that much more," Scheyer said.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer watches down court Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the Siena Saints at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"It drives me like crazy every day, there’s of course the pain and all that… it’s going to drive me the rest of the way, there’s no doubt about it.”

The Duke program and its fans have faced some harsh realities over the past two seasons, but that isn't stopping Scheyer and Co. from reloading to compete on a national scale each season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google