On Saturday night, the Duke Blue Devils pulled off what many experts thought they simply couldn't do this season: defeat the No. 1 team in the nation.
However, with an undeniably dominant second half, the Blue Devils secured a 68-63 victory over the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines, and while the victory was deservedly credited to the players, quite a bit of praise should be sent in the direction of Duke head coach Jon Scheyer as well.
With nearly three and a half minutes left in the game, Scheyer had reached a grove, and had clearly figured out Michigan's defensive game plan.
Jon Scheyer drew a perfect play when Duke was up 1 on Michigan
A clip of Duke's bench during a timeout has gone viral since the game ended. With 3:24 on the clock, Scheyer was vigorously drawing up a play. Then, he says the key to the Blue Devils' success:
"They're not switching," Scheyer said about Michigan's defense. Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans nodded.
On the inbounds play, the ball went to Patrick Ngongba II, and Michigan's big man Aday Mara stayed near him but kept close to the paint. Boozer set a screen on Evans' defender, Evans broke to the basket, and Ngongba had the perfect lob for Evans to flush a big-time dunk.
Mara was too far behind, Boozer's defender hadn't switched to cover Evans, and just like that, the play unfolded exactly how Scheyer had said it would.
Jon Scheyer play call with Duke up 1 with 3:24 left 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jbBuTUEgQA
— Donté J Harvey (@dontejharvey) February 23, 2026
Despite the fact that he was the fastest ACC head coach ever to reach 100 career wins, despite the fact that he has already led the Blue Devils to the Final Four, and despite the fact that he is 114-24 overall, people have doubted the greatness of Scheyer's coaching.
Well, he certainly just silenced all of those doubters, not only proving his worth, but showing the world that it's time to take his team as seriously as possible.
Duke is now 25-2 overall and will likely take the spot as the No. 1 team in the nation in the upcoming AP Top 25 Poll. Scheyer is coaching as well as he ever has, the team is playing as well as it has all season, and the Blue Devils are storming toward March.