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Jon Scheyer out with illness, did not travel with Duke for game vs. SMU

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•01/04/25•

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Duke head coach Jon Scheyer (Goldberg/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Duke head basketball coach Jon Scheyer did not travel to Dallas for the Blue Devils’ game against SMU on Saturday. Scheyer is dealing with an illness and will miss the game, Duke has announced.

The good news is that he is expected to return to the sideline when Duke faces Pitt at home on Tuesday. Here is the full statement from the Blue Devils, which was released on Twitter Saturday afternoon:

“NEWS: Coach Scheyer did not travel with the team to Dallas due to illness and will miss today’s game,” the post reads. “Associate Head Coach Chris Carrawell will serve as acting head coach. Coach Scheyer is expected to return for Tuesday’s game vs. Pitt.”

Duke is off to a strong start to the season as the Blue Devils are 11-2 (3-0) and have won seven straight games. Duke’s two losses were to Kentucky and Kansas in close games.

Jon Scheyer is in his third season leading the Blue Devils program after previously playing at Duke and working as a longtime assistant under former head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

The Duke vs. SMU game is being played on The CW. Tip off was at 2:15 p.m.

Brian Oliver, who is an analyst for The CW, spoke about the absence of Jon Scheyer and what it would mean for the game prior to tip off.

“It’s always impactful when you don’t have your head coach, but here’s the thing — you know Jon Scheyer and the way that he’s prepped. I’m going to say that this is a Duke team, defense travels. That’s one of the biggest things for them,” Oliver said. “I think what you do, you alter a couple of things, but you keep the plan in place, because they’ve gone all week preparing for this game.

“I think they have to come out, make sure they execute. Maybe there’s some things on the fly that Carrawell may not be able to do, but I still think the game plan will stay intact.

Play-by-play man Thom Brennaman added that Scheyer is “very much under the weather.”

Duke is off to such a strong start to the year thanks in large part to the play of star freshman Cooper Flagg. The potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is averaging 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.