The Duke basketball team did not miss a beat when it was announced that Jon Scheyer would not be with the program for its matchup against SMU in Dallas, in fact it look like the Blue Devils got even stronger.
A 9-point halftime lead, 41-32, blossomed into a 27-point road win against a Mustangs team that aspired of sending a message to the rest of the ACC in its first season in the league.
Duke (12-2, 4-0 ACC) shot 53.2-percent from the field with associate head coach Chris Carrawell serving as the acting head coach for the game, the first time in his career he has set as the head coach of any team, and the players had a surprise waiting for him when he returned to the locker room – a water shower for the ages.
“It was my first time, and head coaches go through some (expletive). I couldn’t even sleep last night,” Carrawell told the team in the locker room.
“I felt comfortable because everyone in this room had my back.”
☔️ @CoachCarrawell 😎😈 pic.twitter.com/hVRu00SVRl
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 4, 2025
The victory served as the eight straight for the Blue Devils as they look to take an early stranglehold on the ACC regular season standings.
“Without Coach Scheyer today, it really showed how we can come together and win on the road,” Cooper Flagg explained after finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
“I just want to shout out my guy, Coach Scheyer, who I know wanted to be here. He was texting, calling, bothering us, because he cared so much,” Carrawell told the media.
“I want to thank our team, our coaching staff, Coach [Jai] Lucas, Coach [Emanuel] Dildy, Coach [Will] Avery, Coach [Mike] Schrage. They did an excellent job on the bench. And our players really came out today and played well on both ends from start to finish. Excellent job. Total team effort.”
Jon Scheyer will return to the sidelines for the Blue Devils on Tuesday night (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) when they host Pittsburgh (12-2, 3-0 ACC).