Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke’s Scheyer on St. John’s: ‘They’re Really Impressive’

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Hugh Straine | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The 1-seed Duke Blue Devils have etched their third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance under head coach Jon Scheyer, and are looking for their third straight Elite Eight appearance in the same span. Duke took down 16-seed Siena 71-65 and 9-seed TCU 81-58 to advance to the second weekend.

The Blue Devils drew 5-seed St. John's in the Sweet 16, as the Johnnies are making their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999 and first under Rick Pitino.

Duke is getting closer to full health with the at least marginal addition of sophomore center Patrick Ngongba returning against TCU and logging 13 minutes. Junior guard Caleb Foster has been out for the entirety of the ACC Tournament and thus far through the NCAA Tournament, and although it's a long shot, Scheyer has hinted that Foster could potentially suit up against St. John's.

The Red Storm are one of the hottest teams in college basketball, and poses a bit of a unique matchup for the Blue Devils in comparison to most other clubs.

Jon Scheyer's First Impressions of St. John's

Scheyer spoke with CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein and provided his early insight on the Red Storm ahead of the marquee matchup.

"Well, obviously, they're really impressive, right," Scheyer said. "I mean, you think about the defense that they play. They seem like they're really connected, really together, and it's a team that's as hot as anybody in the country."

"I mean, to have a few losses early in the season and then to finish the year off Big East champs, regular season and tournament, and to beat some really good teams along the way, I'm just really impressed with their team."

The Johnnies have won 21 of their last 22 games heading into the second weekend of the Big Dance.

St. John’s Resume Is Interesting To Dive Into

The Red Storm are the No. 16 team in the NCAA NET Rankings and at KenPom, and are also 14th in Wins Above Bubble. However, the Johnnies' resume is an intriguing one to dive into.

St. John's didn't beat a single Power Conference team that made the NCAA Tournament outside of the Big East. The two it beat were Baylor and Ole Miss. It suffered losses to Alabama, Iowa State, Auburn, and Kentucky.

After starting the season 8-4, the Red Storm went 18-2 in league play to finish the campaign strong. However, the Big East was awful.

Only four of the 11 Big East teams finished the season with an overall record above .500, and only five are ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Johnnies do boast two wins over 2-seed UConn, but aside from that, there are few quality victories.

St. John's has proven itself with a win over 4-seed Kansas, but Duke is a whole different monster.

This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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