The Duke Blue Devils added another win to their resume, but Jon Scheyer wasn’t interested in breaking down numbers or strategy. Instead, the head coach delivered a message that left fans genuinely moved. Following Duke’s victory over Niagara, Scheyer was asked about what he was thankful for during the postgame interview.

Opening about gratitude for the job he gets to do and the young players he gets to coach, Scheyer said, “We get to coach basketball. We get to come out here, and you see the crowd, you see the students.”

He then added, “So for me to step out every day as a Duke men’s basketball coach, I’m thankful, but also to coach these players. These guys, I see growth every day from them. Every single one of these guys could have gone somewhere else and had it be basically all about them, and then decided they want to be coached, they want to be pushed. So I’m thankful as a coach, I get to come in every day, work with these guys.”

“Ultimately, what’s most important, especially coming up, is you think about our health, family, what really matters. So, for me, having my family at the games, come on. It’s really good. It’s really good,” the HC said, extending his gratitude further toward the people who mean the most to him.

In the game, the No. 5 Blue Devils rolled to a 100–42 victory over Niagara, showcasing one of their most complete performances of the young season. Sophomore Patrick Ngongba II led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds, even knocking down the first three-pointer of his Duke career. Cam Boozer added another 14 points, setting the tone early with a breakaway dunk and stuffing the box score with steals and blocks before halftime.

Duke’s offense clicked from every angle, shooting 58% from the field and drilling 17 threes, marking their third 100-point outing this year. Isaiah Evans and Nikolas Khamenia chipped in 12 points each to round out Duke’s balanced attack. The matchup also carried a sentimental layer as Niagara is coached by former Duke point guard Greg Paulus, a longtime teammate of Scheyer under Mike Krzyzewski.

With the Niagara win behind them, Duke now enters a stretch that will test them far more, as several ranked opponents await in the coming weeks.

What’s next for Jon Scheyer-led Duke Blue Devils?

The Men in Blue have played six matches so far in the 2025-26 NCAA season, and they have won all six of them. However, while they are off to a great start, the upcoming games will test their team chemistry and capabilities far more than the teams they have played.

Duke will enter a tough stretch in the upcoming week. While their next game is against the Howard Bison on November 23rd, it will be the games after that, where Jon Scheyer will have to look out:

• Against the No. 21-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov 27th
• Against the No. 10-ranked Florida Gators on December 2nd
• Against the No. 17-ranked Michigan State Spartans on December 5th

Currently, the Devils are being led by Cameron Boozer when it comes to being the most efficient scorer (21.6) with the most rebounds (10.4), assists (4.4), and blocks (1.4) in a game. Moving forward, the team would heavily rely on his prowess when they face tougher opponents.