It wasn’t just the 31-point margin over Louisville that made a statement, but what freshman Nik Khamenia said after the game that truly revealed the power structure within Duke’s locker room. After Duke dismantled Louisville, freshman Nik Khamenia gave a candid look into the two people driving the Blue Devils’ success.

Boasting a 19-1 record right now, the Blue Devils’ only defeat came in a one-point loss to Texas Tech. Duke, which has been dominant as ever in Men’s College Basketball, had a period of unassailed success under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, famously known as Coach K.

The success has continued under Jon Scheyer, with their latest win, an 83-52 blowout of the Louisville Cardinals, showing just how well the team is progressing. Duke Freshman Nik Khamenia joined the Field of 68: After Dark podcast after the win, highlighting Scheyer and top NBA draft prospect Cameron Boozer as key figures within Duke’s program.

Nik Khamenia spoke highly about Scheyer on The Field of 68: After Dark podcast. He said, “I mean, it’s great playing under the coach. You know, he really wants all of us to succeed. Every day, he’s trying to, you know, piece everything together so that he gets the best out of every single one of his players. He’s a great coach. Obviously, he doesn’t get the high praise, I guess, that he really should. But playing for him is great. It’s amazing.”

Jon Scheyer served as assistant to Coach K at Duke for almost a decade before taking over from the legend as the Head Coach in 2022. The 38-year-old formerly undrafted player has overseen a seamless transition, with Duke enjoying one of their best campaigns so far, running to an 8-0 record in Conference Play matchups.

Khamenia was asked about fellow freshman Cameron Boozer, and he stated how Boozer has an unrelenting hunger to improve despite his elite status, and how humble and team-oriented the NBA draft prospect is. Averaging 23.3 points per game for the Duke Blue Devils, Boozer has been a complete package, with nearly 10 rebounds on average.

What is even more impressive is the fact that he does all this while playing just 32.2 minutes every game, with Boozer showing incredible efficiency on both ends of the court. Scheyer took Duke to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament last season, and given the talent they have in the freshmen they have recruited, we could see them land their first NCAA title under their new Head Coach.

The Duke Blue Devils are painting a new picture of dominance with their frontcourt power

Heading into the new year, Jon Scheyer had a lot to think about. While the Duke Blue Devils were still winning their games, the margin of victory was smaller than expected against some unseeded teams, especially after the close defeat to Texas Tech.

However, Scheyer has overseen a dominant stretch of games now, with the latest 30+ point blowout of Louisville completely flipping the script. The key change has been Scheyer leaning into the frontcourt presence that their roster has. Top NBA Draft prospect Cam Boozer, alongside the towering presence of Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown.

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The frontcourt dominance has seen them record blowouts, and suddenly, the Duke Blue Devils have gone from a top team in Men’s College Basketball this season to a real contender for the NCAA Tournament. In fact, Duke outscored Louisville, California, Stanford, and Wake Forest in the paint by a whopping 176-62 combined over the four games.

This shows Scheyer has taken a leaf or two out of Coach K’s book to adapt to the team’s strengths to make them shine more. And if it continues like this, the Duke Blue Devils could be a force to be reckoned with going into March Madness.