It wasn't supposed to end like this for Jon Scheyer and Duke

Washington, D.C. — For 20 minutes at Capital One Arena on Sunday, Duke looked every bit the juggernaut its résumé promised. The Blue Devils, owners of a 29–2 record, ACC regular-season and tournament titles, and the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, led No. 2 UConn by 19 and carried a 15-point cushion into halftime. A third Final Four in four seasons for the Huskies appeared improbable; a berth in Indianapolis for Jon Scheyer’s group felt inevitable.

Then the second half unfolded like a recurring nightmare.

UConn, ice-cold from deep and making only one of its first 18 threes, suddenly canned four of its final five. Duke, which had coughed up just five turnovers before the break, gifted the Huskies eight more after it. The last of those—a hurried decision by star point guard Cayden Boozer—caromed into the hands of UConn freshman Braylon Mullins, who had misfired on each of his first four attempts from distance.

With less than a half-second remaining, Mullins launched from just inside the March-logo at mid-court. The buzzer sounded as the ball arced, the net rippled, and the arena erupted.

“I knew I had to put one up,” Mullins said. “Man, I’m just happy that was the one that went down tonight.”

The 72–71 dagger ended Duke’s season and extended a pattern Scheyer would prefer to forget. One year after squandering a 14-point second-half lead in the Final Four against Houston, the Blue Devils again found victory snatched away by turnovers and late-game calamity.

“I don’t have the words,” Scheyer said, eyes red in a silent locker room. “I could not be more disappointed and feeling for our guys at the same time.”

The collapse felt cruelly familiar. A roster stocked with NBA-level talent—including projected top-three pick Cameron Boozer—had navigated late-season injuries to veteran guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba II, both of whom returned for the tournament at less than full strength. Foster’s gutsy 11-point effort in the Sweet 16 win over St. John’s left Scheyer in tears; his presence Sunday still wasn’t enough to stem the tide.

“We just gave them easy baskets,” Scheyer said. “That was the big difference in the game.”

And, for the second straight March, the difference in Duke’s season.

In four years under Scheyer, the Blue Devils have reached two Elite Eights and a Final Four, yet the refrain persists: underachievement. A 29–2 campaign, a No. 1 overall seed, and a late double-digit lead were supposed to culminate in a trip to Indianapolis. Instead, another offseason arrives with more questions than answers.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this for Jon Scheyer and Duke. But in the cruelest month, the story writes itself.