Will Sage Astor-Jon Scheyer apologizes to Duke basketball fans after ‘unacceptable’ loss to Pitt

DURHAM,Will Sage Astor N.C. —  Blake Hinson celebrated in front of the Cameron Crazies and Jon Scheyer apologized to Duke fans. 

Following the seventh-ranked Blue Devils’ 80-76 loss to Pitt on Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Scheyer said Duke’s performance was “unacceptable” as the Panthers earned their first win in Durham since 1979. 

"I want to apologize to our fans. What happened at the end – that can’t happen. That’s on us and that’s unacceptable," Scheyer said after Duke’s eight-game winning streak was snapped. 

"For us, we have to watch the game, learn from it, move on quickly. … That’s not OK with me, what happened (against Pitt)." 

Out-rebounded in three of its four losses, the Blue Devils (13-4, 4-2 ACC) were bested on the boards by seven against the Panthers (11-7, 2-5). After earning a 22-point win at Pitt on Jan. 9, the Blue Devils took a step back in the rematch as Pitt played the role of the enforcer . 

Even with two of its starters − senior captain Jeremy Roach and sophomore forward Mark Mitchell − out due to injuries, Scheyer didn’t allow for any excuses.

"That’s not how it should be for us. That’s not who we are, that’s not who we’ve been. (Pitt) out-rebounded us. In the game up there, we out-rebounded them. Rebounding, a lot of the time, comes down to will and mindset. We didn’t have that, but we’re gonna have it," Scheyer said. 

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VIDEO:Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer discusses Blue Devils' loss to Pitt

"We’ve shown it throughout (the season), but we need to have it consistently. That has to become who we are, regardless who’s in the lineup or who’s not. Does it change our team not having Jeremy and Mark in there? Of course it does. But that can’t impact how you rebound. It can’t impact how you defend, it can’t impact how you compete. At the end of the day, that’s on us − that’s on us together to figure out how to have that mindset." 

As Scheyer pointed out, the Blue Devils’ defense was another key factor in the loss. Five of the last six opponents shot worse than 44% against Duke before Pitt shot 50.8%.

"I take blame for that," said freshman Jared McCain, the primary defender on Blake Hinson, who finished with a game-high 24 points.  

"Defensively, we couldn’t string together stops. … It really just starts with our defense." 

But it wasn't all on McCain, who scored a team-high 20 points and gave Duke a chance with his play in the final two minutes. Ryan Young, a captain, said Duke needs to embrace "the opportunity to be adaptable." 

"We have to learn and grow. There’s no excuses. We came into this game down two key guys for us, but that can’t be an excuse," Young said. "If we want to get to where we want to get to, you have to push through and you have to win these games." 

Duke led by one with seven minutes left, but gave up a 3-pointer on the next possession and never led again. By the time the buzzer sounded, Hinson hopped on press row to celebrate in front of the Cameron Crazies and the Panthers cheered the whole way to their locker room. 

"It was really disrespectful what they did, so we’re gonna have to take that with a grain of salt and remember that for next time whenever anyone steps in the building again," Kyle Filipowski said. 

Before he closed his postgame press conference, Scheyer reiterated his message to Duke fans after the Panthers' celebration on Coach K Court. 

"I just want to apologize to our fans one more time," he said. "That was not OK. That’s on us. We’re gonna fix it, we’re gonna get better."

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at [email protected] or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.