In a highly anticipated battle of top 10 teams, Saturday night saw the Duke Blue Devils suffer a loss against their arch-rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels. Following the defeat, Duke coach Jon Scheyer expressed his disappointment with his team's performance and lack of poise during the game.

Speaking in a long-winded statement, Scheyer acknowledged the Tar Heels' exceptional play and credited their players, Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot, for their outstanding contributions of 46 points and 23 rebounds combined. He admitted that North Carolina's defense posed significant challenges for Duke in the first half, particularly in terms of loose balls, which ultimately resulted in missed scoring opportunities.

Scheyer emphasized that Duke was capable of scoring, evident from their 84-point total. However, he highlighted the team's inability to secure crucial defensive stops and a failure to compete at the level necessary to defeat a formidable opponent like North Carolina. The Duke coach commended the Tar Heels for their strong team cohesion, stating that they are as good as anyone in the nation.

Expressing his disappointment, Scheyer stressed the importance of learning from the loss quickly and making no excuses. He emphasized the need for the team to get back to work and prepare for the second half of ACC play. Despite the defeat, the Duke coach remained optimistic about the potential for improvement and emphasized the responsibility of both the coaching staff and players to bring a higher level of competitiveness.

Addressing specific players, Scheyer praised the relentless energy displayed by North Carolina's Harrison Ingram, who consistently secured loose balls and demonstrated excellent shooting. He also lauded the competitive nature and overall performance of Duke's Jared McCain, highlighting his leadership qualities and consistent effort on both ends of the court.

Regarding Tyrese Proctor, Scheyer acknowledged his efforts in guarding North Carolina's RJ Davis but acknowledged that Proctor did not have his best game. However, he expressed confidence in Proctor's ability to bounce back and affirmed his belief in the talent and resilience of the entire team.

Looking ahead, Duke has several weeks to address the issues that surfaced in the loss and make the necessary adjustments before their next encounter with North Carolina in early March. Scheyer stressed the importance of responding positively to setbacks and expressed his anticipation for seeing how the team would rebound in practice and upcoming games.

As Duke's leader, Scheyer recognized the responsibility to instill poise and competitiveness in his team, vowing to address the lack of effort observed in the game. The Duke Blue Devils will use this defeat as a learning experience and aim to come back stronger in their future matchups.