WRALSportsFan
Duke coach Jon Scheyer addresses media after 84-79 loss to UNC
The Duke Blue Devils were defeated Saturday night, 84-79, by the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
In transition. Um You know, Ryan sees the two threes, he's wide open and it all started from bad possessions on offense, not being strong with the ball or taking some weak shots. And uh it's disappointing, you know, I just want to thank our students, you know, our, our fans are everybody. I mean, this, this environment, I don't care where you go. It's the best environment in college basketball and there's a party that feels like you let them down and as a team, you know, senior night and I think we probably got in, got caught up in some of that stuff and, um you know, all well intentioned, but uh we didn't play like we've been playing the, the connectivity and offense and um you gotta get some little loose balls still. Like I said, it's 11 possession game. So the second half, um you cut it to three late, you're still right there. Uh But just too many plays throughout. So I told the team, you guys can ask me anything. You know, I told the team afterwards it'd be one thing if we lost and we weren't good enough or it's something you can't control. I feel everything here is what we can control. I really do like this group can do it. It's just, we have to, we have to learn from this. You have to learn and understand the, those possessions. It's not just a bad shot. It's a bad shot. Now, you're down three. They have momentum. You know, I could go down through the game and, uh, this group has always responded. I think it's gonna be nothing different now. Uh but it hurts. It's disappointing and uh we have to get refreshed and regrouped and uh go on AC C tournament fresh and understand what we have to do to get better. John. We heard you tell some of the students that we're gonna get this right, what needs to happen to get it right? There's two or three things that are, well, I uh I just, first, I just wanna connect with the students, you know, just they're amazing, you know, they're, they're incredible. Um But for us, obviously, I need to digest the film still and take a step back. But uh I just thought they, they came out and hit us first and, you know, really the last nine games we've been hitting other people first and uh offensively I think we have great firepower and we can be explosive. You know, we score 79 points. I want to go back through the film. I bet there's 1520 shots. I think we just not the right shots for us and to their credit, they bait you into some of those. That's the way their defense is set up. You know, they're just, they're paint, paint, paint, uh, they're given flip threes. Uh, but that's how it's set up. So if you just go into it and after the one first pass or the first movement to take a shot, you know, you're just living and dying with that shot if you break him down, you know, I felt we could get whatever we wanted and when we did that we did, uh, but really, I thought our offense or our defense, uh cause look, I thought Tyrese did a great job on Davis, thought he competed his butt off, you know, with, with Baycot, we battled him in a big way. Um But too many wasted possessions on offense and, uh we're gonna fix that. Uh, after the game in the locker room, Jeremy said that this was on him. It's kind of hard on himself. How do you pick him up as a leader on the team? Knowing that you're gonna need him heading into time? Yeah. And, and look, that's, that's good for Jeremy to take responsibility, but it's not just on him, you know, it's, it's on our team, it's on our coaching staff, our players, our whole team, like we're in this together and, you know, I learned my, my, my first year here. We, we went together, we lose together. And Jeremy's heart is always in the right place like he sacrificed a lot this season. He could be scoring more, he could be doing all that. And uh he's just been a really good player, I think tonight he, he obviously didn't have his best stuff. I mean, he knows that we, we know that. Uh, but because you see, I'm lucky because I'm able to coach our coach guys that, that take responsibility. And so when we come back on Monday and talk about what we have to do better, it's not pointing the finger, it's not uh talking down. It's a matter of fact. And so Jeremy, like that's his mindset, that's his attitude. He's gonna get better from it. We're gonna learn and come back next week and it, it's, it's go time now, like it's, it's go time now. So, uh you know, Jeremy, th this isn't on him. This is, this is on us. Uh Hey, coach. So last time out in Chapel Hill, you know, Harrison Ingram has a career game this time. Cormac Ryan has a career game. Is there a way to kind of slow those guys down when they're playing like that or is that just sort of a necessary trade off when you're shutting down people like RJ and Armando? Yeah, you gotta not give Ryan two open threes to start the game, you know, and that's, that's what I mean, you feel you would feel pretty good if coming into Cameron and it's just two wide open threes to start off. And that sets the tone for the night, you know, happened to us against Pitt earlier in the year with Henson and the whole, the whole dynamic of the game shifts. And so for us, we're playing catch up the whole way, uh, but still battle back despite all that. I mean, despite, you know, him having 31 and making almost every shot, we're still, it's a one possession game. It's a two possession game, but we just couldn't sustain the stops. You needed to get over that hump and, uh, tip your cap, you know, played well. Uh, but really when you, when you give them two shots early, that's, that's what we control. You gotta give him credit where he hits, you know, you gotta make shots till the end of the day and give him credit. Uh, but we didn't do a good enough job there. Coach North Carolina's a program is known for being a really good rebounding team and it seemed like tonight they were especially good with defensive rebounds was sort of the frustrations. You feel when the guys weren't able to get the boards and set up second chance. Looks, yeah, of course, I mean, you know, look, second chance points is 12 to 10. But, you know, that wasn't as big of a thing like we've rebounded well, but I just thought they beat us to loose balls, you know, they just, so that's what veteran players do. And II, I felt we've been playing like veteran players, but tonight we, we were slow to the ball and that's what these games come down to. You gotta get loose balls, you gotta hit, you gotta, and, uh, we didn't do that to the level we needed despite the slow start to the, uh, first half, um, you guys were able to end the first half strong and start the second half strong, which is something you've talked about a lot in the past those specific moments in the game. Um Is this what helped give you guys a fighting chance today? What did you say then? Sorry? Is that what helped us? Uh, yeah, um, of course, I mean, look halftime, it's, you know, it's got check time at halftime and, uh, you know, even it's a seven point game and we don't block out. They, they get a lay up at the end of the half to make it nine and for us, um I thought we came out with great energy, great togetherness and, uh, we were the ones saying that that that's what it's all about and then just that segment, uh, when we cut it to one, I thought I need to go back and look, but there were some tough shots that led to just transition baskets. They didn't even have to work for it in the half court. And, uh that's really the story of both these games and there's so much to learn from for our group. Uh, because it would be one thing if I didn't believe in them, it would be another thing if I felt we couldn't control these things, we can, we can. John, you mentioned the emotions getting your team at the start is, is the best way to do senior night at the end of the game or afterward or three hours before. What's the, what's the way to combat that? Yeah, I'm not sure, you know, it's, you know, kind of, we haven't had a senior night like this is the first time we've done something like this since. Obviously, we did it every year when I was here as a player and other years we've done it before. Um Jeremy Roach is not the first terrific senior to lose on a senior night like this. This has happened, unfortunately, uh to some of the best players that have ever played here. Uh But it's even if you go after it's emotional, it just is it, you feel it's your last time playing here, uh You can put added pressure on yourself. You can, I don't know, I don't know what the answer is, but, uh but you gotta play better either way. Last one here, obviously, Caleb still on the scooter rolling around. Do you expect him back sometime this coming week or is it looking like into the next in the NCAA tournament. Yeah, Caleb, it's, uh, I would say it's a long shot at Best. He's able to be ready to play next week. You know, I think it's very unlikely. Um, he's doing everything that he can and progressing but he's not close. He's not, and, you know, would have loved to have him out there tonight and for next week. But, uh, you know, our team has to continue to get better and, uh, hopefully sometime we can get him back, uh, but it's not gonna be for this week. Ok. All right. Thank you. All that. Good for that. I have to you. Ok. How much? Thank you. I want to change that. I, I'm sorry, anything like that.