Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #7 UConn on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 72, to, 73
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Final
Men's Basketball
72
vs #7 UConn
73
Coach Scheyer, Players Meet With Media Ahead of North Carolina Game
2/2/2023 3:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DURHAM - Duke men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer along with junior Jeremy Roach and freshman Kyle Filipowski met with media members on Thursday ahead of Duke's rivalry tilt against North Carolina on Saturday eveninig.
HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
On if this week and upcoming game is a moment he thought about when he initially was named head coach:
"Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you, no. Just because you can't skip steps and as a young kid, I've watched this game and to me, it is the best rivalry in sport, no question about it and have a lot of respect for Carolina. But not really until this moment preparing for them. Obviously excited and just like I've been for every other game. It's not like this was one circled or checked off or anything. It has to be just game by game."
On what he remembers about playing in this rivalry game:
"There's a lot of memories that stand out. We've had some battles with these guys through the years. Dating back to my freshman year and they had some incredible teams during my years and just like they have ever since and vice versa with us. Anytime you get a chance to play your last home game, in Cameron, whoever it's against – it happened to be so those guys, you want to finish up with a win. And so the fact that we were able to do that is a special memory. I just remember my first game here, it was actually at home … I had 26 and those are games you dream about playing in. The bigger it is the better it is."
On if he gets as much juice being on the bench coaching against Carolina as he did playing against them:
"Yeah, no question. It's a different feeling, of course, but it's special when Cameron is rocking and to be honest with you, our crowds have been incredible. I mean, just the support that we've had and the students' support has been amazing. So each game has been like that. But when Cameron's going and it's Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening it's a pretty special place to be."
On how the team compartmentalize the two losses last season to help the players prepare:
"To be honest with you, you move on. It's such a different team, different circumstances for us. Obviously, for them, they have a lot of returning players and Hubert [Davis] was the coach last year but we haven't, we'll talk about it with our team, it's not going to be about that. It's about where we are right now, where they are and winning this game for Saturday. So, you take any experience you've had in the past, you learn from it, of course, but it's not about putting that aside or trying to think of how do we use that as motivation. It's about right now where we are, and that's what we'll focus on with our team."
On how his previous experiences with the rivalry helps him prepare the team:
"I think it's around 30 games [for me], give or take in this rivalry as a player, as an assistant coach. And you really have to keep the main thing, the main thing. And that's what your job is for the game. Focus on, you know, they're a really good team, so you have to focus on making winning plays whether it's rebounding or taking care of the ball, whatever it may be, and not get into anything bigger as far as distractions go or as far as anything else. So I think that's the biggest thing."
On what Duke has to do to win the rebounding battle against North Carolina:
"Yeah, it's a fight. It's a fight on the boards and [Armando] Bacot I mean, he's, I think it speaks for itself, his numbers that he's had, the job that he does rebounding the basketball on both ends. And just like every other game we go into; it has to be a battle. We have to have discipline, making sure we're not just pursuing it on the offensive end where they can just get run outs but also when we have the opportunity, we need to go rebound, that's been a strength of ours and that's not going to change whoever we're playing against."
On what has been clicking for Tyrese Proctor recently:
"I think his confidence is really growing. We threw him into … it's his first year and he actually shouldn't even be here right now. We brought him a year early. We threw him right into the fire. And sometimes when you do that you can, you go through moments where you have great success and go through moments where you don't look very good. And Tyrese, that happened to him early. Really went through a tough shooting slump, which probably impacted him, and you just see his confidence growing each day. He's done amazing work with Jai Lucas every single day and his feel for the game, his shooting, his ability to make others better. And he's got more in him. He's got a lot more in him. Really proud of him for what he's done. And I really think his best basketball is yet to come this year still."
On how much the energy provided by the fans has helped the younger players on the team:
"Yeah, you know what, it's funny you say that because what I want Duke fans to feel is they're right alongside us with us in this journey. And it is a journey. I think back to my playing days, and it ended in a National Championship. Was fortunate to be a part of a National Championship team as an assistant coach. It was not linear. Like that thing did not go up every step of the way. We got knocked on our butts many times. We lost, and with this group, we haven't been perfect, but this group has responded anytime it's gotten knocked down. And I think that shows an incredible amount of character that these guys have. And so, for us, we're at home, we're all scrapping and clawing and fighting together. We're trying to do this. And so, I've felt that from everybody. I've felt that from Cameron. You can't assume it's just going to happen when you're home, either. That's one thing for a young group you can sometimes think it's just going to happen. Our guys haven't felt that way. But that's what I want everybody in this building to feel anytime we're in here. We're going through this together, and we'll get there, but it's not going to be easy, and we have to fight every time we're out here."
JUNIOR GUARD JEREMY ROACH
On how he views the Duke-UNC rivalry:
"One of the best, in my personal opinion the best rivalry in all sports … Obviously, what happened last year, happened last year, but we don't want to focus on that too much. Want to focus on ourselves and what we have to do to just get the win. It's going to be a fight. It's going to be a war. UNC is a great team. It's always going to be a great battle, but just got to focus on us and the 15 guys in the locker room."
On how much the time off helped him manage his toe injury:
"The time off definitely helped me a lot just to kind of get it under control. But while I'm out there with my guys, I'm not worried about the toe. The toe's fine. I'm out there for my brother's fighting, just to do anything I can to get a win. … definitely manage it, definitely got to keep an eye on it. I mean, the big toe, it's kind of the main thing you need to walk. You're always going to feel it when you're walking, doing any type of sporting activity. Always got to be aware of that but right now I'm feeling good."
On if he has talked to the other players about last year's results or if it's something they've asked about:
"I mean, obviously, everybody wants to know what happened, how it was last year obviously for Coach K's last game at home. In the Final Four, what the atmosphere was like, how the game went. You can see on the game; it was a war. Just gave them some pointers and stuff like that. It's not going to be the team you see on TV, they're going to be at a whole other level. You've just got to be ready for that. And know that at any point in time, whether he's the lowest person on the scouting part of the highest person on the scouting report, he can go off at any time."
FRESHMAN FORWARD KYLE FILIPOWSKI
On the report that he was dismissed from a practice in the summer:
"Just to set the set the record straight, we were doing this drill and I wasn't putting in my full amount of effort. And [Coach Scheyer] got on me about it. But he didn't tell me to get out. I was just overwhelmed. And so I actually left myself, because I just needed to blow off some steam. But that was because him and some of the guys were on me on the drill because I wasn't putting in the effort I should have been. But I mean, just from the summer to where I'm at now and like the strides I've made, that's all because of my coaches and my teammates. If they haven't been on me since day one, I wouldn't be where I am now. Just with the confidence they've had in me, for always believing in me, and just all of us starting to become a family too. That's really what I give the credit for with my personal success and I'm going to repay the favor by going out there every game and diving on the ball for the loose ball. Always putting in my effort."
On his first memories of the Duke-UNC rivalry:
"Oh, man. Everyone talks about, it's one of the one of the greatest rivalries in sports, so I've known it my whole life. My oldest brother was a big Duke fan. So just growing up and always seeing him watch Duke and him talk about the history and how great it is here. I kind of already got a little sense for that growing up just with kind of being around a fan growing up."
On what Duke has to do and what he has to do to make sure Duke comes out on top of the rebounding battle:
"Just punch first and keep punching. I think that's something we learned the hard way with some of the tough losses we've had and we don't need to worry about the numbers they're putting up. We just need to focus on what we do best and how well we rebound and keep going for the ball. I think we'll be fine in that that part of the game if we just focus on what we do best."
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
On if this week and upcoming game is a moment he thought about when he initially was named head coach:
"Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you, no. Just because you can't skip steps and as a young kid, I've watched this game and to me, it is the best rivalry in sport, no question about it and have a lot of respect for Carolina. But not really until this moment preparing for them. Obviously excited and just like I've been for every other game. It's not like this was one circled or checked off or anything. It has to be just game by game."
On what he remembers about playing in this rivalry game:
"There's a lot of memories that stand out. We've had some battles with these guys through the years. Dating back to my freshman year and they had some incredible teams during my years and just like they have ever since and vice versa with us. Anytime you get a chance to play your last home game, in Cameron, whoever it's against – it happened to be so those guys, you want to finish up with a win. And so the fact that we were able to do that is a special memory. I just remember my first game here, it was actually at home … I had 26 and those are games you dream about playing in. The bigger it is the better it is."
On if he gets as much juice being on the bench coaching against Carolina as he did playing against them:
"Yeah, no question. It's a different feeling, of course, but it's special when Cameron is rocking and to be honest with you, our crowds have been incredible. I mean, just the support that we've had and the students' support has been amazing. So each game has been like that. But when Cameron's going and it's Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening it's a pretty special place to be."
On how the team compartmentalize the two losses last season to help the players prepare:
"To be honest with you, you move on. It's such a different team, different circumstances for us. Obviously, for them, they have a lot of returning players and Hubert [Davis] was the coach last year but we haven't, we'll talk about it with our team, it's not going to be about that. It's about where we are right now, where they are and winning this game for Saturday. So, you take any experience you've had in the past, you learn from it, of course, but it's not about putting that aside or trying to think of how do we use that as motivation. It's about right now where we are, and that's what we'll focus on with our team."
On how his previous experiences with the rivalry helps him prepare the team:
"I think it's around 30 games [for me], give or take in this rivalry as a player, as an assistant coach. And you really have to keep the main thing, the main thing. And that's what your job is for the game. Focus on, you know, they're a really good team, so you have to focus on making winning plays whether it's rebounding or taking care of the ball, whatever it may be, and not get into anything bigger as far as distractions go or as far as anything else. So I think that's the biggest thing."
On what Duke has to do to win the rebounding battle against North Carolina:
"Yeah, it's a fight. It's a fight on the boards and [Armando] Bacot I mean, he's, I think it speaks for itself, his numbers that he's had, the job that he does rebounding the basketball on both ends. And just like every other game we go into; it has to be a battle. We have to have discipline, making sure we're not just pursuing it on the offensive end where they can just get run outs but also when we have the opportunity, we need to go rebound, that's been a strength of ours and that's not going to change whoever we're playing against."
On what has been clicking for Tyrese Proctor recently:
"I think his confidence is really growing. We threw him into … it's his first year and he actually shouldn't even be here right now. We brought him a year early. We threw him right into the fire. And sometimes when you do that you can, you go through moments where you have great success and go through moments where you don't look very good. And Tyrese, that happened to him early. Really went through a tough shooting slump, which probably impacted him, and you just see his confidence growing each day. He's done amazing work with Jai Lucas every single day and his feel for the game, his shooting, his ability to make others better. And he's got more in him. He's got a lot more in him. Really proud of him for what he's done. And I really think his best basketball is yet to come this year still."
On how much the energy provided by the fans has helped the younger players on the team:
"Yeah, you know what, it's funny you say that because what I want Duke fans to feel is they're right alongside us with us in this journey. And it is a journey. I think back to my playing days, and it ended in a National Championship. Was fortunate to be a part of a National Championship team as an assistant coach. It was not linear. Like that thing did not go up every step of the way. We got knocked on our butts many times. We lost, and with this group, we haven't been perfect, but this group has responded anytime it's gotten knocked down. And I think that shows an incredible amount of character that these guys have. And so, for us, we're at home, we're all scrapping and clawing and fighting together. We're trying to do this. And so, I've felt that from everybody. I've felt that from Cameron. You can't assume it's just going to happen when you're home, either. That's one thing for a young group you can sometimes think it's just going to happen. Our guys haven't felt that way. But that's what I want everybody in this building to feel anytime we're in here. We're going through this together, and we'll get there, but it's not going to be easy, and we have to fight every time we're out here."
JUNIOR GUARD JEREMY ROACH
On how he views the Duke-UNC rivalry:
"One of the best, in my personal opinion the best rivalry in all sports … Obviously, what happened last year, happened last year, but we don't want to focus on that too much. Want to focus on ourselves and what we have to do to just get the win. It's going to be a fight. It's going to be a war. UNC is a great team. It's always going to be a great battle, but just got to focus on us and the 15 guys in the locker room."
On how much the time off helped him manage his toe injury:
"The time off definitely helped me a lot just to kind of get it under control. But while I'm out there with my guys, I'm not worried about the toe. The toe's fine. I'm out there for my brother's fighting, just to do anything I can to get a win. … definitely manage it, definitely got to keep an eye on it. I mean, the big toe, it's kind of the main thing you need to walk. You're always going to feel it when you're walking, doing any type of sporting activity. Always got to be aware of that but right now I'm feeling good."
On if he has talked to the other players about last year's results or if it's something they've asked about:
"I mean, obviously, everybody wants to know what happened, how it was last year obviously for Coach K's last game at home. In the Final Four, what the atmosphere was like, how the game went. You can see on the game; it was a war. Just gave them some pointers and stuff like that. It's not going to be the team you see on TV, they're going to be at a whole other level. You've just got to be ready for that. And know that at any point in time, whether he's the lowest person on the scouting part of the highest person on the scouting report, he can go off at any time."
FRESHMAN FORWARD KYLE FILIPOWSKI
On the report that he was dismissed from a practice in the summer:
"Just to set the set the record straight, we were doing this drill and I wasn't putting in my full amount of effort. And [Coach Scheyer] got on me about it. But he didn't tell me to get out. I was just overwhelmed. And so I actually left myself, because I just needed to blow off some steam. But that was because him and some of the guys were on me on the drill because I wasn't putting in the effort I should have been. But I mean, just from the summer to where I'm at now and like the strides I've made, that's all because of my coaches and my teammates. If they haven't been on me since day one, I wouldn't be where I am now. Just with the confidence they've had in me, for always believing in me, and just all of us starting to become a family too. That's really what I give the credit for with my personal success and I'm going to repay the favor by going out there every game and diving on the ball for the loose ball. Always putting in my effort."
On his first memories of the Duke-UNC rivalry:
"Oh, man. Everyone talks about, it's one of the one of the greatest rivalries in sports, so I've known it my whole life. My oldest brother was a big Duke fan. So just growing up and always seeing him watch Duke and him talk about the history and how great it is here. I kind of already got a little sense for that growing up just with kind of being around a fan growing up."
On what Duke has to do and what he has to do to make sure Duke comes out on top of the rebounding battle:
"Just punch first and keep punching. I think that's something we learned the hard way with some of the tough losses we've had and we don't need to worry about the numbers they're putting up. We just need to focus on what we do best and how well we rebound and keep going for the ball. I think we'll be fine in that that part of the game if we just focus on what we do best."
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
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