Jon Scheyer claims 10-0 start against Lipscomb was 'the worst thing that could've happened' for Duke

The Duke Blue Devils were back in action on Tuesday night. That was a full 10 days since they had last played, making for a layoff that was a challenge to stay focused during.

Coming out of the break, Duke got off to a fast start against an upset-minded Lipscomb team. Head coach Jon Scheyer saw his team jump out to a 10-0 lead. However, it would slip away by halftime, which made Scheyer question his team’s preparation and focus after missing some time.

“For sure,” Jon Scheyer said. “I think so much of this mental, right? And I thought a lot of it we played, like we had 10 days off, but so did they. They didn’t look that way. So, as a coach, you’re always questioning what you could have done differently, how you can get through that. So, with having a period of time, about a month without any school, the sacrifice that we have to make with our guys is just player development, work on the court, film work, watching games.”

Despite opening the game with a 10-0 lead, Duke would let that quickly slip away. Lipscomb would then go up 26-16, taking a double-digit lead. That’s because, as Scheyer explained, his team lost its edge and focus. That nearly cost them in the game.

“I think most importantly, I thought getting up 10-0 was the worst thing that could have happened in some ways,” Scheyer said. “Because I thought we then changed what we were doing. I thought we started off great. And every coach, I think, would say this – when you win, you worry about getting soft, or you worry about just assuming that it’s going to happen. So, I thought today was a great reminder for us. Anytime you step out on this floor, we’re not above any loss or any opportunity to look bad. And I thought the wake-up and the response was great, but I would like them to learn that lesson.”

Duke ended up bouncing back. By halftime, the Blue Devils had a three-point lead. Then, a dominant second-half effort helped Duke to ultimately win 97-73. With that, they moved to 11-0 on the season and will get ready for Texas Tech on Saturday.

“And we have to learn it quickly,” Scheyer said. “I mean, Texas Tech, Grant [McCasland]‘s a big-time coach. I’ve been around him with USA Basketball. They have two of the best players in the country. We’ll dive into them more, but it’s going to be as good of a team that we play.”

After Duke plays Texas Tech on Saturday, December 20th, the Blue Devils will have another extended layoff over Christmas. When Duke is back in action, the Blue Devils will be taking on Georgia Tech in ACC play on December 31st. So, Scheyer does need to make sure his team stays focused.