Following their narrow 73-72 defeat to University in the Elite Eight on Sunday, concerns are surfacing about Duke’s struggles to maintain double-digit leads in crucial matches.
The Blue Devils seemingly had the game in control with a 19-point advantage in the first half, only to see it evaporate as the Huskies mounted a comeback. This marks the second consecutive year where Duke has suffered a key NCAA Tournament loss after initially leading by double digits.
Last year’s defeat came against Houston in the Final Four, where Duke held a 14-point lead, which the Cougars erased in the last eight minutes. Interestingly, both of Duke’s regular-season losses during the 2025-26 season also came after leading by at least 13 points.
Sunday’s heartbreak was triggered when Braylon Mullins landed a 35-foot three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining, sealing the win for University after a critical turnover by Duke gave them another chance.
Duke’s head coach, John Scheyer, addressed the situation, saying, “We just need to secure it, right? They had a foul; we were ready for a timeout. We just have to be patient. It’s easy to focus on that one play, especially with all that happened in the second half. It’s not just one play; it’s about all the moments that led us to that position.” He seemed aware that every decision counts.
Duke was ahead by three points with only ten seconds left in the matchup against University, and it was reminiscent of last year’s semifinals when they led by six points with a little over a minute to go before Houston came back to win.
Notably, Duke was the only No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament to lose a game after leading by more than 15 points at halftime.
By Sunday evening, the No. 1 seed had fallen out of the tournament. Scheyer reflected on his role, admitting, “There’s no one in this room, myself included, who doesn’t think about what could have been done differently. That’s part of this position. … Ultimately, we need to finish strong. We reflect, we learn, and we take action.”
