Duke head coach Jon Scheyer described the Blue Devils' 79-73 loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night as an "out-of-body experience," citing a lack of connection within his team.
Michigan State controlled the game from the opening tip, never relinquishing the lead to No. 2 Duke. While the neutral-court loss by six points may not significantly damage Duke's season résumé, Scheyer was unsparing in his assessment of his team's performance.
"They 100 percent deserved to win. I thought they outcompeted us. They played more together," Scheyer said during his postgame press conference. "For me, it was a little bit of an out-of-body experience. Our team, I thought our team, we weren't connected. Just the bottom line, we weren't connected, and we're going to fix it. I promise you that much, and our fans deserve better. That was not a good performance tonight."
The Blue Devils struggled offensively, shooting just 33 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line, while Michigan State connected on 45 percent of its shots.
This early-season setback marks Duke's third game of the season. The team faces a challenging upcoming schedule with matchups against No. 10 Illinois, UConn, and Florida before December 1, providing opportunities to regroup and improve team cohesion. The loss highlighted the need for greater connection and execution as the season progresses.