The world’s most unpredictable tournament is here. But many are predicting that Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils will dance all the way to a National Title win. Ever since Jon took up Coach K’s role, he had to prove himself. See for yourself:

• 2023: Jon Scheyer leads its freshman-dominant crew to the ACC Championship title and a No. 5 seed in the Field of 68. ESPN predicted the Blue Devils have a 11.9% chance of winning the NCAA Tournament. Interestingly, UConn, the eventual winners, only received a 9.5% vote of confidence. But Duke returned to Durham in the second round itself, losing 65-52 to Tennessee. But there’s always the next season.
• 2024: Jon and Co. were not exactly favorites after losing their final ACC regular season contest and exiting the Conference rounds early. But they still clenched the No. 4 seed. In fact, Mackenzie Sheehy of Duke Chronicle mentioned, “This version of Duke has not displayed the fight and grit it would need to get to the Sweet 16. It is fairly likely that the Blue Devils could return to Durham after the first weekend in Brooklyn, N.Y.” But Jon took his team till the Elite Eight, losing at the hands of NC State.
• 2025: Deep tourneys have not been a thing for Jon Scheyer yet in the Big Dance. But this season, they are coming in red hot with a 31-3 record, a regular season win, and an ACC title, locked as the first seed.

But with Cooper Flagg out so far, will the Blue Devils find their way? Actually, is Flagg’s injury the only roadblock for Duke? ESPN’s Tim Donnelly has his doubts.

On ESPN’s The Drive w/ Tim Donnelly, the host highlighted the growing pressure on Scheyer. “It (exposure to Duke’s games) does make it seem like Jon Scheyer has been the coach much longer than he has. This is his third season. And he had not been a head coach anywhere else, he’d been an assistant. He’s still learning and Scheyer has to deal with a legendary, like, Blue Blood problem, a legendary Duke problem… But the challenge is this, the target is on your back. You are the favorites, expectations are the highest for you. Duke is, right now, the betting favorite to win the national championship at +320. They are +320 to win the whole thing. A notoriously hard to predict tournament and they’re +320.

“Now Duke as a school, just like UNC, is obviously used to that… But guess who has never been in that situation? Jon Scheyer. He’s never been the head coach of a team seeded higher than fourth. Scheyer’s first season, Duke was a five seed. That is the lowest seed in a full season for Duke since 2007… Last year, they were a four seed, that’s not a ton better. This year, they’re the No. 2 overall seed. That is the coaching challenge to me. You have to make sure your team is not buying into their hype at all despite the fact that their hype is everywhere.”

These are the issues Jon Scheyer has in store for him– lack of experience, pre-set expectations, and controlling a much-hyped team. For the first time in the Jon Scheyer-era, the Blue Devils have commanded the bracket as a second-overall and first seed in the East. However, being a storied program coming off of the tremendously successful reins of Coach K, Duke as a school is used to being in the headlines. In fact, as Donnelly noted, in the all-time list, Duke has the second-most appearances as No. 1 seed at 15. The next best is another historic program– UNC at 18 such appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

No doubt, Donnelly’s worries are practical. This is a level of pressure Scheyer has never dealt with before.

Duke’s five titles under Krzyzewski also loom large, and Scheyer’s 2023 Round of 32 and 2024 Elite Eight exits—while solid for a rookie HC—fall short of the benchmark fans demand. With Flagg projected as the 2025 NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick, anything less than a championship feels like failure.

However, all this is not to say that Jon and his squad has lost all hopes. In fact, even with Cooper benched, the Blue Devils are still winning big games. They defeated Louisville (13) 73-62 to clench their second ACC Championship title under Scheyer. Yep, that’s second in three years. With this win, Duke leads all for most ACC titles at 23. This is five more than their rival North Carolina who they swept in a close 74-71 semifinal win. Not to mention, this year, the Blue Devils have also won the ACC regular season title.

For now, Scheyer will keep his eyes on what’s next. Whether Cooper Flagg plays or not, the focus remains on winning the first round of the Big Dance and then some more. Let’s take a look at who the Blue Devils will face as they begin another March Madness run, hoping to bring a championship back home.

What’s next for Cooper Flagg and Co.?

Duke is preparing for a major test ahead. As the No. 1 seed in the East Region, the Blue Devils will kick off their March Madness run on Friday, March 21. They’ll face the winner of a play-in game between the University of the American and Mount St. Mary’s College. The game carries extra importance. Duke will be playing just a short trip from home in Raleigh, North Carolina, and will be counting on strong support from the fans.

Although ACC and Duke have confirmed NCAA that Cooper will return for March Madness as per NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt’s words on Saturday, there is no surety as of yet. In Duke’s ACC championship game, Flagg was sitting courtside and was not limping, a much-needed relief for the fans. Junior forward Maliq Brown who has been influential defensively for the Blue Devils this year is also not confirmed yet.

To make things worse for Scheyer, Jai Lucas–Duke’s defensive mastermind–won’t be with the team anymore. This season, Lucas turned Duke into one of the best defensive teams in the country, holding opponents to just 61.9 points per game. Lucas, who left for Miami’s head coaching job, crafted schemes that neutralized stars like Auburn’s Johni Broome in a December 4 win, with Maliq Brown anchoring the paint.

His departure, mandated by NCAA rules, leaves Duke without its defensive architect at the worst possible time—right as Brown, averaging 3.3 steals per 40 minutes, also sits out with a knee tweak from the ACC title game. Losing such a key figure at such a crucial time only adds to the growing list of problems for Scheyer. However, in every game so far, if there is one thing that has stood out for Duke, it is their late defensive presence on the floor.

Jon Scheyer knows the pressure is on him to deliver Duke its sixth championship. Without Flagg, Brown, and associate head coach Jai Lucas, the challenge has only grown. But given Scheyer’s leadership and how he guided the Blue Devils to an ACC tournament title, you can expect Duke to fight through the adversity. Stay tuned for more updates on Duke!