Since taking over the Duke men’s basketball team in 2022, head coach Jon Scheyer has led the Blue Devils to an incredible 108-23 overall record. Despite his 82.4 percent win rate, his three conference titles, and his run to last season’s Final Four, Scheyer is continuously cast aside when discussing top coaches in college basketball.
A prime example came just the other day, when the Field of 68 released its most recent power ranking of the top 10 frontrunners for Coach of the Year, Scheyer was inexplicably left off the list.
Field of 68 releases COTY power rankings
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska Cornhuskers, 20-1 overall, 9-1 Big Ten
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona Wildcats, 21-0 overall, 8-0 Big 12
Travis Steele, Miami (OH) Redhawks, 21-0 overall, 9-0 MAC
Dusty May, Michigan Wolverines, 19-1 overall, 9-1 Big Ten
Bill Self, Kansas Jayhawks, 15-5 overall, 5-2 Big 12
Josh Schertz, Saint Louis Billikens, 20-1 overall, 8-0 Atlantic 10
Brad Bronwell, Clemson Tigers, 17-4 overall, 7-1 ACC
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt Commodores, 18-3 overall, 5-3 SEC
TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State Cyclones, 18-2 overall, 5-2 Big 12
Mark Few, Gonzaga Bulldogs, 21-1 overall, 9-0 WCC
Scheyer and the Blue Devils weren’t mentioned until the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman decided to include the Duke head coach as one of the men in the mix, alongside Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Villanova’s Kevin Willard, and Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland.
Not only has Scheyer led his team to a better overall record than four of the coaches on the list, but he has coached the Blue Devils to an undefeated (8-0) start against ACC opponents, including two massive wins over the Louisville Cardinals.
Duke has already taken down six top-25 opponents this season and has virtually cemented itself as a top-five team with March Madness just around the corner. Not to mention the fact that Scheyer has the head-to-head win over Kansas’ Bill Self and the then-No. 24 Jayhawks with Duke securing a 78-66 win at the State Farm Champions Classic in November.
While he apparently can’t do anything to persuade college basketball analysts to give his name more weight and respect, Scheyer can maintain his winning ways and hopefully lead the Blue Devils on yet another deep run at the end of the season.
