Duke Basketball Leader 'Even More Optimistic' After Losing to Kentucky

Jon Scheyer pointed to the heart of his Duke basketball players in praising their performance against the Wildcats.

Duke basketball versus Kentucky / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After securing a 46-37 halftime lead over the No. 19-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at the Champions Classic in Atlanta's State Farm Arena on Tuesday night, Jon Scheyer's third Duke basketball team tallied only 26 points after the break. As for Mark Pope's Wildcats, they scored 40 across the final 20 minutes, resulting in their 77-72 victory over the No. 6 Blue Devils (2-1, 0-0 ACC).

ALSO READ: Duke Head Coach Calls Recurring Blue Devil Issue 'Concerning'

Kentucky look energized late in the contest. Duke appeared gassed.

Down the stretch, the Blue Devils relied on freshman guard/forward Cooper Flagg's prowess time and again, as the 17-year-old phenom finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks but committed a turnover on each of Duke's last two possessions. Meanwhile, his teammates combined for only 12 second-half points — zero after the 6:30 mark.

Despite the weaknesses that came to light versus Kentucky after the Blue Devils had steamrolled four opponents between exhibition action and their 2-0 start to the regular season, the 37-year-old Scheyer explained in his opening statement to the media why he's never been more encouraged by his 2024-25 Duke basketball squad:

"Well, look, this is a big-time college basketball game. Incredibly proud of our team. I thought we came out, played a great first half, really competed at a high level.

"And you know, one, give Kentucky credit for the plays they've made. You know, I think they showed incredible maturity. And their experience came out in that second half. No question.

"For us, it's disappointing because, you know, you're winning for 27 minutes, and our guys competed. And they played hard. [Cooper Flagg] at 17 years old, what he does and how he competes and how he shows up, I couldn't be more proud of him. I could not be more proud of him — coaching this guy, man.

"We got a long season to go. I feel more optimistic tonight, losing, than I did even before because you find out in this game the character of your team, the heart that they have, and this team has got a lot of heart.

"You know, we're missing Khaman [Maluach]. You know, we're up — I think it was nine — when Khaman started cramping in the second half. And that, it's a big loss for us.

"Sion [James] too. You know, that was a huge sequence for us: Sion getting injured and they hit a three. You know, it was a double whammy.

"And you know, they came, they kept coming at us, making shots, and we had an answer. We just kept answering. And it came down to one more play at the end. And give them credit, tip your hat to them.

"And for us, we're going to grow and learn from this. I promise you that. But we got a locker room full of guys [who] are disappointed — heartbroken.

"I'm with them. And we're gonna get better."

ALSO READ: Battle-Tested Duke Alum Jeremy Roach Now Benefits Baylor

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.