Grading Jon Scheyer's 2025-26 Season With Duke

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have done a fantastic job retooling the roster to get ready for the 2026-27 campaign, but that shouldn't take away from the vastly successful season the Blue Devils just had.

Sure, it ended in the most heartbreaking way possible when Braylon Mullins nailed a three-pointer from the logo to hand the 2-seed UConn Huskies a 73-72 win over 1-seed Duke in the Elite Eight. However, there was still a lot to be proud of for the Duke program and its fans.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen 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

What Duke Accomplished

The Blue Devils earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, cementing themselves as the team to beat heading into the Big Dance. Additionally, Duke boasted what was likely the best resume in all of college basketball.

Scheyer has never been scared to give his guys a gauntlet of a non-conference slate, and this past year was no different. Duke faced five ranked opponents in non-conference play, going 5-1 against them. The Blue Devils went 11-2 against AP Top 25 opponents overall. Not only was that the most of any team in the sport last season, but it ties the most wins over ranked opponents in a season in the AP Poll era.

Duke ended the campaign with a 19-3 record in Quadrant 1, tied with Arizona for the second-most Quad 1 victories of any team in college basketball. The Blue Devils also beat Michigan in February, the eventual National Champions.

Overall, Scheyer's squad went 35-3 on the season, won the ACC regular season and tournament titles, earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and made the Elite Eight. Despite that, this past season is still considered more of a failure than a success.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) dribbles the ball past Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) 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

What Went Wrong

This was the second season in a row where Duke had the National Player of the Year on its roster, and for the second straight year, it resulted in a shocking collapse. The Blue Devils held a 44-29 lead on UConn at halftime. Before Duke's collapse, 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament with a 15-point or greater halftime lead were 134-0.

Duke was probably the most talented team in the country and, despite not being fully healthy, had all the makeup to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. After a certain point, talent only means so much, and results have to follow.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks to a referee March 21, 2026 during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game with TCU at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, Scheyer just wrapped up year four at the helm with Duke, and his incoming squad is probably the deepest and most championship-ready team he has had while coaching the Blue Devils. Overall, it certainly wasn't a failure for Scheyer and Co., but Duke should not have seen its season end the way it did.

Grade: B+

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