The Duke basketball team might be the best in the country but it’s not the talent that makes it a favorite to win the National Championship, it’s the determination and desire to win that truly makes it great.
Yes, the Blue Devils have an elite defense, great shooting, and the best player in the country with Cooper Flagg but its heart is what will truly take it far in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke trailed by six points, 59-53, with 12:30 remaining in Saturday’s victory over North Carolina after leading by as many as 15 points midway through the first half but never wilted, outscoring the Tar Heels 29-10 in the remainder of the game.
It’s the same attitude they showed on the road against Clemson – despite losing the game – rallying from a seven-point deficit with 9:00 left only to take a lead inside the final minute.
Jon Scheyer has watched his team demonstrate its toughness time and time again this season in games on the road against Louisville and Wake Forest and even early in the season during losses to Kentucky and Kansas when having the chance to win despite squandering leads.
“I thought it was incredible to go through,” Scheyer said after the 82-69 victory in Chapel Hill. “I even said that at halftime to our team, that was the first thing I said, 'This is great." We're always preaching inflection points in the game, and end-of-half is one of them.”
“We're up 15, and they cut it to one, but I knew we needed it. It was the best thing for us. Even the start of the second half when we went down seven. It was a real test of your trust in those moments. And we showed we have great trust in each other in that situation.”
The victory earned Duke the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and clinched its first outright regular season title since 2022 and the first with Jon Scheyer as its head coach.
The Blue Devils will battle either Georgia Tech or Virginia on Thursday afternoon (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).