Duke Reaches Final Four as Scheyer’s 3rd Season Cements Elite Status

From Duke Sports Information 

​ In just his third season as Duke men's basketball head coach, Jon Scheyer has firmly etched his name among the sport's rising elite, guiding the Blue Devils to one of the most dominant seasons in program history and the school's 18th Final Four appearance – tied for the second-most all time.

Under Scheyer, Duke posted a 35-4 overall record in 2024-25, joining a rare group as only the sixth team in school history to notch at least 35 wins and the first in a decade to do so. The Blue Devils also captured both the ACC regular-season title (19-1) and the ACC Tournament championship – the 21st and 23rd such titles in program history, respectively – marking Scheyer's second ACC Tournament crown in three years, a first in conference history for a head coach in their opening three seasons.

Ranked inside the AP Top 25 throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Duke spent two weeks at No. 1 and finished the season No. 3 in the final poll, marking the 41st top-10 finish in school history. The Blue Devils closed the year by winning 31 of their final 33 games, riding impressive win streaks of 16 and 15 games, and storming through the NCAA Tournament with an 86.80 points-per-game average – the second-highest by a Duke team in tournament history (min. five games), behind only the 2001 national champions.

Scheyer's Blue Devils were a statistical powerhouse, leading the nation in scoring margin (+20.5) and becoming the first team in ACC history to lead the conference in both scoring offense (83.2) and scoring defense (62.8). Nationally, Duke ranked in the top 25 in 13 categories, including:

• 1st in scoring margin (+20.5) – third-best in Duke history
• 3rd in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.82) – best in program history
• 4th in field goal percentage defense (.384) – best by any Duke team since 1960
• 7th in field goal percentage (.493)
• 7th in scoring defense (62.8) – third-best in program history
• 10th in free throw percentage (.790) – second-best in Duke history
• 11th in scoring offense (83.2)
• 11th in three-point percentage (.386)
• 13th in rebound margin (+7.2)

Duke also tallied 394 made three-pointers, the second-most in program history, while becoming the only Division I team to both average over 80 points per game (83.2) and allow fewer than 63 (62.8).

The Blue Devils achieved a KenPom net rating of 39.29, the second-highest in the site's history since 1996-97 – trailing only the 1998-99 Duke squad (43.01).

Scheyer's individual accolades continue to pile up. With 89 career wins, he now shares the record for most wins by a Division I head coach in their first three seasons, joining Brad Stevens (Butler) and Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin). He also became the youngest head coach to reach the Final Four since 2011, and this season was honored with the prestigious 2024-25 John McLendon National Coach of the Year Award.


Most Wins in First Three Seasons as Head Coach (NCAA Division I - Men's)
1. Jon Scheyer (2022-25) - 89
    Brad Underwood (2013-16) - 89
    Brad Stevens (2007-10) - 89
4. Tommy Lloyd (2021-24) - 88

Duke Head Coaches in First Three Seasons
Overall Wins
1. Jon Scheyer (2022-25) - 89
2. Harold Bradley (1950-53) - 61
3. Vic Bubas (1959-62) - 59
Overall Win Percentage
1. Jon Scheyer (2022-25) - .802 (89-22)
2. Vic Bubas (1959-62) - .728 (59-22)
3. Eddie Cameron (1928-31) - .721 (44-17)