Despite two dinged-up talents among the primary rotation in Duke basketball freshman guard Caleb Foster (foot) and sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski (knee), Jon Scheyer has reason to feel optimistic about his No. 10 Blue Devils (21-6, 12-4 ACC). After all, three of their four remaining regular season games are at home.
Furthermore, it’s not as though as they’ve been struggling.
Duke recently reeled off five wins in a row, including two away from home before falling, 83-79, at unranked Wake Forest (18-9, 10-6 ACC) on Saturday afternoon. Plus, these Blue Devils followed up each of their previous three losses with no less than a three-game winning streak.
During Monday night’s Fast Break with Jon Scheyer alongside host and Voice of the Blue Devils David Shumate, the second-year head coach summarized his current outlook while assessing his squad’s recent performances as they return to the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium following a 2-1 road swing:
“We did enough to win all three games. We put ourselves in a position. We didn’t close the third game, which is disappointing for us. But the effort against Miami and the effort against Florida State…and the effort against Wake Forest was really good.
“The difference with that game versus some of the [other losses] earlier in the year, it wasn’t just about how hard you have to play or the effort or how hard you have to compete. It’s about the attention to detail and what it takes to win. And that’s what we didn’t follow through all the way with.
“You know, you’re a play away, still. The margin is so small. That’s what we spent a lot of time talking to our team about today. But proud of the effort. I’m proud of the growth. To come out of this with winning two out of the three — you win the three home games right before — I think we’re getting better and better.
