Duke head coach Jon Scheyer discusses the keys to victory following 63-57 win over UNC

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer got his first victory in one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports on Saturday night against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The game was back-and-forth for most of the contest. The game was tied at 57-57 late in the second half, but the Blue Devils pulled away when it mattered most, scoring six unanswered points in the final few minutes to come away with the 63-57 victory. Following the game, Duke Blue Devils’ head coach Jon Scheyer spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the court about how his team was able to come away with the victory.

Jon Scheyer spoke about the keys to victory

He talked about what was different in getting his first win in the rivalry as a head coach, as opposed to his playing days.

“It’s a little bit different. But um, I’m really proud of our team. You’ve got two guys behind you in [Dereck Lively II] and [Kyle Filipowski], and they made some big-time plays. I’m so proud of them, proud of our team, and really happy for them,” Scheyer said.

The Duke head coach then discussed how his youthful squad was able to be so composed during the clutch moments down the stretch. They were led by none other than their point guard, Jeremy Roach, who stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points and seven rebounds. He scored some critical buckets in the painted area down the stretch, burning by Tar Heel defenders in the open floor.

“You know what, Holly, I think Jeremy Roach has a lot to do with it. You know, down the stretch, we weren’t as sharp as I would’ve liked on offense…But the job that Jeremy did, not just scoring, but in key moments, was bigtime. So, I credit him,” Scheyer said.

The Blue Devils also got a spectacular defensive performance from their big man, Dereck Lively II, who undoubtedly boosted his NBA Draft stock with eight blocks and 14 rebounds (both were career highs).

“You know what? I’m emotional about it, because people are so critical of somebody who comes in and he had a little bit of an adjustment period. He has worked his butt off. He was a huge difference-maker in the game. The job that he did on [Armando Bacot]. Rebounding and he may have missed some shots and we’re fortunate for that. But Dereck is going to be a….he is a monster and he’ll continue to be a monster,” Scheyer said.

Duke got a combined 44 points from Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, and Kyle Filipowski. With the win, the Blue Devils improved to 17-6 overall and 8-4 in the ACC.