Dec 16, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during the second half against the Lipscomb Bisons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Jon Scheyer Spits Facts About Dip in Duke Basketball Scrappiness

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 7:00 AM ET

As Duke Blue Devils On SI opined on social media during the Duke basketball squad's closer-than-expected 85-79 home win over the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-5, 0-1 ACC) on New Year's Eve, the No. 6 Blue Devils (12-1, 1-0 ACC) "need to rediscover who they were in early December" because it's clear "they haven't displayed the same degree of swagger since then."

Fourth-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer sure seems to agree with the above sentiment about his unit, which had over a week and a half off following its 82-81 loss to the now-No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

All facts ️ @JonScheyer pic.twitter.com/CWBK8lOz0z
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 1, 2026

"Our program is built on fighting, scrapping, clawing for every single possession in every single half of a game," the 38-year-old Scheyer said after watching his Blue Devils bounce back from a concerning 43-39 halftime deficit against Georgia Tech. "And I don't think we did that to the level against Texas Tech. I don't think we did that to the level today.

"And that falls on me to get these guys ready for the fight that it's gonna be [in ACC play]. The execution and all that other stuff comes with the mindset that you have to have. But in the world that we're in with betting, lines being out there, mock drafts — all that stuff — it can give you a false sense of reality when these [Georgia Tech players] are coming in, and they're 22, 23 years old, and they're also very talented, and they're also very hungry and on a mission.

"And so for me, I think that's what it comes down to."

Lack of Aggression Evident in Duke Basketball Shot Selection

Sophomore wing Isaiah Evans explained to Duke Blue Devils On SI that particularly in the first half against the Yellow Jackets, the Blue Devils' unwillingness to power toward the rim ultimately led to them falling into the trap of doing what Georgia Tech wanted them to do. That is, Duke relied too heavily on 3-point attempts, shooting 6-for-20 beyond the arc across the first 20 minutes of action.

Last night, I got Isaiah Evans' thoughts about Duke's overreliance on the three in the first half against Georgia Tech: pic.twitter.com/lBOV08yGPI
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) January 2, 2026

"Coach was like, 'Those are the shots that [the Yellow Jackets] want us to take," Evans noted about Scheyer's halftime message. "He was just saying how every time we attack the basket, they rarely ever stopped us, or they fouled us...

"He just kept stressing: 'Attack the basket, attack the basket.'"

The Blue Devils' attack next gets put to the test with a road battle against the unranked Florida State Seminoles (7-7, 0-1 ACC) at 3:45 p.m. ET Saturday (CBS).

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