Blue Devil Country

Jon Scheyer on Duke Defense notes ’It’s Hard To Feel Very Good'

Jon Scheyer spoke the hard truth after Duke basketball took down SMU at home.
Hugh Straine|
Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer yells in the first half as his team fell behind by 10 points in the first half. The Duke Blue Devils rallied from being down nine points at the half to beat Louisville 84-73 Tuesday night at KFC Yum Center January 6, 2026.
Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer yells in the first half as his team fell behind by 10 points in the first half. The Duke Blue Devils rallied from being down nine points at the half to beat Louisville 84-73 Tuesday night at KFC Yum Center January 6, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Duke basketball program improved to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in ACC play following an 82-75 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium over No. 24 SMU (12-4, 1-2 ACC). The Mustangs boast one of the most prolific offenses in the ACC, ranking 15th nationally at KenPom in adjusted offensive efficiency heading into the contest, and they proved how dangerous they can be. The Blue Devils didn't look perfect on the defensive side of the ball, but were able to make enough plays down the stretch to secure a victory.

Through the first 11 games of Duke's season, it looked like potentially the best defensive unit in all of college basketball. However, over its last five games, it's looked far from elite. The Blue Devils have allowed three of their last four opponents to shoot 53% or better from the field, which includes SMU shooting 57% for the game.

Now, Duke had plenty of positives on the defensive side of the ball against the Mustangs as well. In SMU's 12 wins this season, it has averaged a wild 94.5 points per game. The Blue Devils limited it to just 75 while forcing a season-high 21 turnovers for SMU that led to 21 points for Duke. Nonetheless, Jon Scheyer's club has a lot of room to grow defensively.

Jon Scheyer Shares the Hard Truth on Duke’s Defensive Outlook

Now, Duke may not have looked perfect defensively, but it did enough to secure a victory. Granted, SMU was without star guard Boopie Miller, but the Blue Devils were still able to stay in control down the stretch to earn a fourth straight win to begin league action.

Even with the win, Scheyer isn't happy with where his team is at on the defensive side of the ball.

"Well, it's hard to feel very good when they shoot, you know, 56% from the field all game," Scheyer said. "And, I thought there was some great sequences in that Louisville game in the second half. But you have to adjust, you have to move on, you have to have a different scouting report now. They're a different team, they do different things. And, it's been an issue."

Duke played one of its best defensive halves of the season against Louisville on the road on Jan. 6. After the Cardinals tallied 47 points in the first half, the Blue Devils limited them to 32.3% shooting from the field and 11.8% shooting from three in the second half en route to an 84-73 victory. However, Duke wasn't able to carry that same dominance into its next conference game.

Scheyer's club has plenty of time to continue to improve defensively, but the inconsistencies on that side of the ball are becoming a bit of a concern.

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Hugh Straine
HUGH STRAINE

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.