Jon Scheyer opens up on coaching against Nolan Smith

Duke knocked off Louisville 79-62 on Monday night, affording coach Jon Scheyer an opportunity to coach against Nolan Smith, one of his former teammates at Duke.

The two played together for three years at Duke.

“Nolan, we’ve been through a lot of battles together in between those lines,” Scheyer said. “He’s been a long-time friend of mine.”

It’s not the first time Scheyer has crossed paths with someone he’s quite familiar with in coaching, but coaching against Nolan Smith was certainly a unique experience.

“Nolan and I, we’ve got so much history together,” Scheyer said. “So I’m happy for him, where he’s at. Louisville is home for him, but it’s great seeing him. He’s doing a great job. Didn’t think we’d be going against each other, and that’s how it goes. He’s on his journey. The moments we shared in here, that’s something I’ll always cherish. Always.”

Duke protecting its home court advantage

Duke simply has not been good away from home this year. The Blue Devils are 6-8 outside of Cameron Indoor and have only won three road games in ACC play. However, they’re still viewed as a lock for the NCAA Tournament because of their flawless 14-0 record at home. Those crazies have helped maintain an unblemished home slate this season, which head coach Jon Scheyer says is one of the big strengths of the program.

“Well our fans are the best in the country, hands down,” said Scheyer after the team’s latest home win over lowly Louisville. While Duke likely didn’t need a raucous home crowd to pull them over the finish line in that particular contest, the fans still packed the house all the same as the Blue Devils washed the Cardinals. A few fans even went to pretty bizarre lengths to taunt Louisville players, with one kid holding up a poster-sized print-out of a conversation with a Cardinal player on Tinder. Definitely a weird move, but a testament to Duke fans’ die-hard commitment to creating a hostile environment.

At the end of the Louisville game, with Duke leading significantly, Scheyer said his favorite chant broke out.

“You know, for me, my favorite chant is when they chant ‘Our house!’ You know, that’s always been my favorite one. It means, you know, it means we’re winning or about to win. And I just have a lot of pride, you know.”