Jon Scheyer criticizes team for 'completely disjointed' offense in first half vs. N.C. State
The Duke Blue Devils and N.C. State Wolfpack had a bit of a sloppy finish to their first half of their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday afternoon. And Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was not pleased at all with how his team looked in the closing minutes on offense. Heading into the locker room, Scheyer spoke with Tracy Wolfson on the CBS television broadcast.
How did Scheyer assess the final few minutes of the first half? “Just completely disjointed,” he said in frustration. “And you know, look, both ways. It’s a little bit of a slugfest. The thing that’s been good is our defense. We just have to be a lot better on offense.”
Scheyer certainly had to have been disappointed with how the game finished on Sunday, as the Blue Devils lost 76-64. Duke simply couldn’t get much going on offense. Jared McCain erupted for 32 points, hitting five of 11 three-pointers, while hitting eight of his 20 shots from the field. The Blue Devils struggled shooting, only connecting on five of their 20 three-pointers (25%).
The Duke defense was definitely impressive in the first half, but Scheyer and company could find no answer for the behemoth that is D.J. Burns. The big fella poured in 29 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out three assists. He’s been a critical ingredient to N.C. State’s magical run the past few weeks and there simply wasn’t anything Duke could do to stop him on Sunday.
The Wolfpack outscored Duke 55-37 in the second half, ensuring the Blue Devils fell just short of making the Final Four. It was still an impressive run for Scheyer and company.
They’ll now look forward to the 2024-2025 season, where they’ll reload with some of the top recruits in the country, such as Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach.
Flagg has been one of the most highly touted prospects in recent memory, earning the No. 1 overall spot in the country from several scouting services, including the On3 Industry Rankings. Maluach checks in as the No. 7 overall prospect in the nation, standing at 7-foot-2, 250 pounds. He also has a standing reach of 9 foot-8, making him one of the longest basketball players in the country (college or pro).