Overprotective Duke Basketball Behavior Ensures Season's End

With just over eight minutes to play against fellow No. 1 seed Houston in San Antonio's Alamodome on Saturday night, Jon Scheyer and his third Duke basketball squad appeared well on their way to the program's first Final Four win in a decade. At the time, the Blue Devils were on track for a blowout, or so it seemed in the eyes of many observers. They enjoyed a 59-45 lead.

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Around that moment is when the Blue Devils fully took their foot off the gas, employing a slowdown style that prevented any chance of a lopsided final score. They played not to lose. And so, it should have come as no surprise to fans of any sport that they ultimately lost, 70-67, a devastatingly embarrassing end to one of the most dominant Duke basketball campaigns in history.

Scheyer deserves blame for not recognizing that Khaman Maluach was ineffective, as the 7-foot-2, 250-pounder failed to record a rebound in 21 minutes on the floor. The 37-year-old head coach, whose instructions during timeouts proved futile, deserves blame for not trusting uber-aggressive post competitors Maliq Brown and Patrick Ngongba II enough to play either in the final minute.

Most disappointing, though, is that Scheyer admitted afterward to not even believing his Blue Devils were capable of recording another blowout. That's despite the fact that Duke had recorded so many this season, as recently as the Elite Eight.

"Never once did I feel we were going to blow Houston out," Scheyer said, "even with that lead."

Huh? So, Scheyer didn't think his 35-win team, featuring three projected one-and-done lottery picks and a deep cast of veterans, was even capable of putting the pedal to the metal to destroy another opponent?

Well then, it's no wonder the end of the 2024-25 Duke basketball season will now go down as arguably the all-time most avoidable late-game Final Four collapse.

And if Scheyer refuses to drop that destructively protective mentality, he'll never win it all as a head coach. Simple as that.

National championships belong to those who believe in themselves when it matters most and show no mercy to opponents when holding big leads.

Scheyer isn't there yet.

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