The Duke basketball team had been struggling and no one could really figure out why.
It’s defense that had been dominant for the first two months of the season was getting shredded and it felt like there was no adjustment that could be made to fix it.
Lipscomb scored 45 points in the first half. An injured and foul trouble riddled Texas Tech squad hung 82 points on the Blue Devils, 46 coming in the second half, and Georgia Tech and Florida State, two bottom dwellers in the ACC, scored 79 and 87 points, respectively.
It was all trending towards another defensive disappointment against Louisville on Tuesday night and the worst-case scenario was unfolding in real time as the Cardinals posted 47 points in the first half and led by nine at halftime.
Duke watched Louisville shoot 47-percent from the field and 48-percent from 3-point range but with the team’s back against a wall, Jon Scheyer knew what to do. He had the halftime adjustments that allowed the Blue Devils to get back in the game.
He proved, again, that he’s one of the best coaches in the country as his team held the Cards to 26 points in the second half on 32-percent shooting from the floor and 2-for-17 from 3-point range.
It continued his second half dominance against the ACC school, which has now been outscored by a combined 51 points in the last three second halves against Duke.
On the road last season, Duke turned a four-point halftime deficit around by outscoring Louisville by 15 points. In the ACC Championship Game, it was a 16-point difference after halftime and on Tuesday the margin was 20 points after the break.
While many other people in the ACC, or around the country, do not want to give him the credit, Jon Scheyer continues to prove himself as one of the best coaches in the nation and it proving his worth on the Duke sideline nearly every game.