Duke basketball found ‘collective purpose’ at home. Now, Blue Devils need..
Duke basketball’s collective mood shifted 180 degrees over the past two weeks, from the depths of a two-game losing streak, through a week of hard-nosed practices and the joy of two home wins.
“I just liked the response from our team,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after Tuesday night’s 89-68 win over Hofstra at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
That doesn’t mean all is well with the No. 21 Blue Devils, not by a long shot.
Through the season’s first 10 games, Duke (7-3) racked up wins over the teams the Blue Devils are expected to defeat — from Dartmouth and Bucknell to La Salle, Southern Indiana, Charlotte and Hofstra. Duke’s 1-3 record against teams from Power 5 leagues, though, reveals work the staff and players are continuing to plan and execute.
On Nov. 30, following Duke’s 75-70 loss at Arkansas, Scheyer lamented his team’s missing “collective toughness” that’s needed on the road. The Blue Devils followed that performance by losing 72-68 at Georgia Tech in their ACC opener three days later.
Duke’s practices between that loss in Atlanta and an 80-56 win over Charlotte on Dec. 9 were their most intense of the young season. A news conference planned for Dec. 8 was canceled so the coaches and players could stay locked in on their internal concerns, not what the world outside Cameron Indoor Stadium thought of the team.
