Soft? Duke basketball shows it’s not the same in Blue Devils’ win vs. Georgia Tech
DURHAM – Gutsy. Tough.
Those weren’t the words being used to describe Duke basketball after its loss to Tennessee in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. On that afternoon, the Blue Devils played without Mark Mitchell and seemed to be overwhelmed by the physicality of the Volunteers.
With Mitchell sidelined again because of a knee injury in Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech, the 11th-ranked Blue Devils had a built-in excuse if they were to suffer a letdown against the Yellow Jackets at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
In addition to being without Mitchell, Duke shot it poorly, saw Georgia Tech shoot over 50%, trailed by 10 points in the second half and watched as senior captain Jeremy Roach briefly exited the game with an injury.
Duke had every excuse to shrink in the spotlight against a team that beat it earlier this season in Atlanta. Instead, the 11th-ranked Blue Devils were – in the words of head coach Jon Scheyer – gutsy and tough on their way to an 84-79 victory.
“Thought it was a gutsy win. … I thought we missed (Mitchell), but I told our guys, 'It’s no excuses for us,'” Scheyer said.
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Since that 72-68 loss to Georgia Tech on Dec. 2, Duke has won eight in a row.
“To see the growth, to see the mental makeup of the guys on this team, they’re tough,” Scheyer said.
“I’m talking mental toughness, not just physical toughness on the court. I’m really proud of the growth we’ve made. Ever since that (first Georgia Tech) game, I really do think we’re a different team.”
Duke basketball’s Kyle Filipowski says Blue Devils aren’t ‘soft’
Duke sophomore Kyle Filipowski, one of the favorites to win multiple player of the year awards, had a rocky start against the Yellow Jackets. Despite missing 12 of his first 17 shots, Filipowski finished with a career-high 30 points to go with 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
“We’re not this soft team like people said last year or even this year,” Filipowski said. “There’s gonna be a lot of positions like this that we’ve been put in.”
When asked about the toughness of the Blue Devils, Filipowski pointed to accountability and positive, constructive criticism as areas of growth.
“I think we have a lot more poise,” he said. “We don’t separate when things get tough, too.”
Filipowski and the Blue Devils showed that growth in the final seven minutes Saturday. Trailing 69-66, Duke got off the mat with a 10-0 run to take command.
Ryan Young knows this experience could lead to success in NCAA Tournament
Filipowski, along with Jeremy Roach (18 points) and Tyrese Proctor (17 points) led the charge from an offensive standpoint. But Ryan Young and Jaylen Blakes made huge plays in the second half to shift the game in the Blue Devils’ favor.
Blake had a big block that led to a layup and was plus-9 when he was on the court. Young finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes. Freshmen guards Jared McCain and Caleb Foster combined for nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
It’s the kind of gritty, all-around performance teams need if they want to win in the postseason. The Blue Devils didn't get that in their second-round loss last season.
“These kinds of wins are huge for us. We learned a ton from it. How do you gut out a victory like that where we’re down Mark – who’s been playing incredible – and Jeremy goes down in the second half, Jaylen has four stitches in his left hand?” Young said.
“These kinds of games, if you want to go deep in the tournament, you wanna hang banners and win championships, these are the games you gotta learn how to win and make it work.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Jon Scheyer saw from Duke basketball in win vs. Georgia Tech
