Wild Duke Basketball Coincidence Entering Clash Against Chanticleers

An optimistic mystic might view the timing and circumstances of the Duke basketball home matchup against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Thursday night as a sign of history yearning to repeating itself via a national title for the current batch of Blue Devils.

Yes, one could characterize the following nuggets as a sort of historical parallel.

See, Duke and Coastal Carolina have met only once before on the hardwood. That took place in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 16, 2009, when Jon Scheyer was a senior guard for the eventual national champions. And the outing was the second in the regular season for the 2009-10 Blue Devils, who had won their season opener by 34 points at home (96-62 over UNC Greensboro) just three nights earlier.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer — Oct 7, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer answers questions from the media during the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte, NC. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fast forward to this week. Scheyer is in his fifth season as head coach. His 2026-27 Blue Devils are gearing up for their bout against Coastal Carolina, which just so happens to be the squad's second regular season game and the second home game, also coming just three nights after the first, set for 8 p.m. ET Thursday (ACC Network). And No. 2-ranked Duke is fresh off winning its season opener by 34 points at home (84-50 over Army on Monday night).

How Jon Scheyer Fared Versus Coastal Carolina 17 Years Ago

In the win over Coastal Carolina when Scheyer was the veteran starting point guard for the 2009-10 Blue Devils, he had a relatively cold shooting night from the field but managed to reach double-digit points thanks to his efforts at the charity stripe. He finished the contest with 10 points, two rebounds, five assists, and zero turnovers, shooting 1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 7-for-7 at the line.

Duke prevailed, 74-49, over Coastal Carolina that night as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Sure, the current Blue Devils have a chance to defeat the Chanticleers by considerably more than that on Thursday night. But of course, one could say that a 25-point victory would certainly add to the potential good-omen vibes given the above parallels thus far between the 2009-10 and 2026-27 early season action.

This go-round, Coastal Carolina is coming off a loss in what was also its season opener this week. Justin Gray, who is now in his third season as head coach of the program, and his unranked Chanticleers suffered a 71-70 home loss to the unranked Eastern Michigan Eagles on Monday night.

Following the game against Coastal Carolina, Duke basketball will get ready to travel to Chicago for its Champions Classic battle versus the Michigan State Spartans in the United Center at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

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