Post-Game Quotes: Duke
12/6/2025 3:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Opening statement…Â
Bad time to do a press conference, to be honest with you. My team has played their tail off for all nine games, and I don't feel very good about what happened today. I didn't like the way we did some things that are staples of our program. We've gone a year. We keep track. 
We've got a year without missing a free throw cutout. We had four of them today. And one led to a three. 
Two others led to baskets. So as good as Carson (Cooper) played – and in some ways, had a career day. There were coverages that we just didn't do. And those are effort related and intelligence related, not skill related. 
And that stuff bothers me, so that means I didn't do a good enough job getting it through. I give Duke before I go off on us, because I ain't happy about us. A lot of respect for Jon (Scheyer) and the job he's done and it's why we can't beat him. He always has a superstar that he can go to, and he had two points the first half,16 the second half, and including getting three of the four missed free throws, which is disgusting and ridiculous. We thought it would be (Cameron) Boozer and (Isaiah) Evans, and we said don't sleep on (Caleb) Foster since two years ago, he killed us by himself. And it was Boozer and Foster, and Evans made the big three and the three-point foul shot that we had gone over and over and over and over, because that's how they beat Florida the other day. 
So that falls on me, I'm not doing a good enough job. I can go over and over and over, and if it doesn't get done, I got good kids, it's probably my fault. You have five turnovers in a game. 
They had eight. It was a game that was played very well in that respect. We got out rebounded, which doesn't happen very often by one. 13 offensive boards. They hit 10 offensive boards, four of them on free throw cutouts. The way they started out the game because we didn't guard our coverage, they hit four three's right off the bat, and ended up at nine. 
We had eight. We just couldn't make some shots, and I didn't think we did a good enough job, even though Jaxon (Kohler) made some threes. It took them out of the paint, and we felt we could go inside on them instead of shooting fall aways, and go right at them. 
 I got to do a better job of that. I thought there were a couple of bad calls – the dunk, the travel, one is a three, and one was a critical play on (Carson Cooper) Coop. 
That's not good, either. But I think the respect I have for Duke, for Jon, for his program, for Boozer, how calm he was, didn't seem to bother him, that he didn't get any shots in the first half. That tells you a lot about their program and about the players in that program. 
I will learn from it, and hopefully, if I get another chance, I'll do a better job.
On Duke switching to zone defense in the second half…Â
I mean, they went zone, they played as much of it all year, and give them credit. They went zone and we didn't make plays. But I just did not think we did the things we'd worked on in a zone and moving the ball, getting inside and out. If players don't do the things they don't do, it's got to be the coach's fault because he didn't get it through to them. 
And so I take full responsibility for that. I'll make damn sure that doesn't happen again, because we did not move the ball very well. We did not get the ball inside out. 
And more so than the missed shots. I mean they missed a lot of shots, too. They just missed some free throws and went and got it. 
I mean, we had 13 offensive boards. I think what's gonna bother me is I think there were a couple key plays that ended up changing the game. We were five up. Another thing, that's my fault, so let's put a list together, because I like when I get criticized a lot. I don't like when I do it myself, because that really bothers me. But we tried to play Cam (Ward) and the poor kid is – he's hardly practiced, and (Cameron) Boozer hit that one big three at the top of the key and he felt worse than I did. We just felt like we had to give some guys a rest, and he probably wasn't ready and so that's not his fault. I believe in the kid. I think he's tough enough to get through it, but we made a couple of mistakes on that, too.
On the starting backcourt not shooting well…Â
Well, I mean, Jeremy (Fears Jr.) was 0 for 10 and to be honest with, he missed two layups at the end. I thought Jeremy, to be honest with you, played really well. 
He plays really well defensively. He missed some shots, he missed a couple of open shots. I did not like the runners he took. 
I wish he would have just pulled up and shot them. He missed the two layups at the end that didn't matter. So all of a sudden you go from 0 for 8, to 0 for 10. 
The other guys, I thought we had some good looks for Kur (Teng) early, just missed them. There'll be some juggling, we'll have a quarterback controversy. Because what you do is you give people an opportunity and a chance, and yet sooner or later, you got to step up. And Jordan (Scott), he stepped up because he plays so hard. 
I mean, he was shooting the worst of all of them, but he just plays so hard, he gets things done. You can't win a game. I mean, we were in the game because our crowd was unbelievable. For Meagan (Hogan), LaRhonda (Burley) – all  of our people did an incredible job. Our students – place was special today. 
I don't know what it was like where you were from, but where I was from, it was special. And I greatly appreciate that. I wish we could have given them a win, but they did their job. 
That's why we're in the game. Our defense was pretty good other than some coverages, mistakes. And our rebounding was pretty good other than some critical ones in the second half one. I think we got tired because Cam's a guy that's got to play 15, 18, 20 minutes a game, and we just couldn't do that. He missed a couple of layups, he's got the cast on his hand, so that's not his fault. That's just the way it worked today.
On the team coming out on the wrong end of timeouts…Â
Well, we played the best team we've played, with the best player we played, for sure. And a very good coach, give him credit. 
He learned from the best. There've been a lot of games that we've played against Duke that we lost in the last three minutes. So for some reason he's done a hell of a lot better job than I'm doing on that. 
 I just didn't think we had it in that little stretch. And that stretch, when you're five up, if you get one more bucket, the crowd really gets into it, and they were tired, too. I thought they were tired. And I thought we could have ran them more. 
We just had some strange lineups in there because of guys not playing as well. So we'll get better. I mean, we proved that we can play with anybody. I think defensively, we can be an elite team. I think we showed that. Duke is really good. I told you guys about some of the other teams. I said to keep your eye on some teams that've had a million transfers and all that. Some it will work for, some It won't work for. I watched some of the Gonzaga game last night and 
that's why I'm trying to keep my composure on where we are yet. And I told you it'll be the middle of December. It'll still be the middle of December before I anoint anybody, to be very honest with you. 
But it was just a shame that we didn't find a way to get some little things done, but it was impressive the way they found a way to get the little things done.Â
On if this loss was more frustrating or discouraging…
I was pissed off in there. Yeah, go to that one first. I really mean that. Discouraging, because I didn't think we did the things, I had some key guys that didn't do things that they have done for two and three years. And I can't be discouraged about the missed shots, because we're not a great shooting team. Now, I think we're a better shooting team than we shot, but we missed some layups. How many layups did we miss? Jeremy (Fears Jr.) got two at the end. Poor Cam (Ward) had those two just little reverses, right? Coop (Carson Cooper), Coen (Carr). If you hit five of those layups, I mean, and I'm not saying they were all easy, but I'd say four of them you have to make if you're going to win those kinds of games. They made some tough shots too. So, I'm discouraged because I think today was supposed to be a special day and it was in every way except the win. And I think they deserve it. I thought our team needed to find a way to win a game like that to maybe figure out how good they are. I thought early we looked like a team that didn't feel good about it. That's what I was most disappointed about. But I'm encouraged because we're eight and one. Played a monster schedule. We've overcome some average shooting. My point guard is getting better and better every day. Coop (Carson Cooper) had a monster game as far as a lot of those things. Jaxon (Kohler) played pretty well. One of our freshmen really played better. I mean, I think we got a chance to be really good. We just, our margin for error, and this is what we've said all along, our margin for error is slim. So, you can't miss free throw cutouts. And those of you that come once in a while and actually watch a practice instead of just sit up there and be on Twitter, we work on it a lot, and every game day. Or the night before in this case, we spent last night, practice ended, my staff said we forgot free throw cutouts because I usually do them day of game. So, we stopped and we did it and talked about it. That's inexcusable. I don't care if parents are mad at me, I don't care if media is mad at me, I don't care if my wife's mad at me, the worst part is I'm mad at me because I didn't get that done and it cost us. And give them credit though. I sound like I'm not giving them credit. I mean, the jobs Jon's (Scheyer) has done, I'm in awe of. Most people don't want to follow a legend. He followed an icon, and he's done a hell of a job.
On the growth of freshman forward Jordan Scott…
High basketball IQ. He's a very good shooter, just hasn't shot well this year. Very good shooter. I told you he reminded me of Max Christie, who struggled his first year shooting the ball, but he shot them. He's a really good shooter, but he's got length and he understands, and if you tell him what to do, he does a damn good job of it. He just needs experience now.
On the growth the team made today in his eyes…
This is an Illegal moment. That the media is trying to tell me to find something good. So, I appreciate it, but it's kind of illegal. You guys aren't allowed to do that. But I felt like we competed. We did not compete as intelligently, but we did compete. I felt like we had our moments when we moved the ball offensively, got some lobs, we executed coming out of the second half, first couple of plays, we really executed well. I thought we did a great job of that. I mean, we went toe to toe with one of the top two or three best teams in the country. I think they are because they just got a guy you can go to at any time. You can go to him at half court, top of the key, on the block, you can go to him to score it, you can go to him to pass it. I mean, he to me, Doug Wojcik had the scout and he said, what he was most impressed about (Cam) Boozer was 'he's not going to beat himself.' He's under such control and he does such a good job. And boy, I enjoyed watching him as much as most people I've seen at Duke, and I've seen a lot of good ones. But just his whole demeanor, and maybe it's his bloodlines with his dad (Carlos Boozer), and maybe it's Jon (Scheyer) doing a hell of a job, and maybe the kid is just a special player. But when he can beat you with the pass, the dribble, the rebound, and the three-point shot. There aren't many guys that we've ever played against. And, I mean, Coop (Carson Cooper) held him to two points at halftime. Our defense did a damn good job. We really did. Our game plan was not to double because he's such a good passer. When we did a couple times, it cost us, but I thought we executed that really well. The second half, it was the missed free throws and the missed shots, and he hits a three. He's a good player. But the second shots are the ones you hope he doesn't get. So, I thought we did a good job on him. I mean, he's what, six, eight, 10 points below his average. But we didn't do those little things that everybody talks about that nobody sees that could have won us the game.
On how the 2-3 zone defense may have affected redshirt sophomore point guard Jeremy Fears Jr…
I don't think that affected Jeremy (Fears Jr.) at all. I think Jeremy (Fears Jr.) got a little tired. I had to play him to death. I think he got a little tired, to be honest with you. But listen, I sat in here last year and everybody knows, criticized some things he did. He didn't shoot it well, but I am really proud of him. He was so good again in the huddles. He was asking me questions and suggesting things that worked. He's starting to really see the game. So, listen. I'll watch the film. We had some guys that played better than I gave them credit for. There'll be a couple who played worse than I gave them credit for. There'll be some things I'll look at me, there'll be some things I'll look at the official. We just don't have a big margin for error. And so, when those little things happen, we have to make sure that our margin for error isn't on a missed free throw, and we got to make our free throws. Coen's (Carr) has been shooting really well but struggled from the line today. It didn't take much to change that game. And so, Jeremy (Fears Jr.) will continue to get better. We're going to get better.
Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer
Opening Statement...
Well, that was a big-time basketball game. I'm still catching my breath. I just want to start off by saying how much respect our program, how much respect me personally, how we have that for Tom Izzo. For Coach Izzo and this program. It's as good of an atmosphere as you're going to get. You know, I thought our guys handled it incredibly well for, you know, being on the road with a top 10 team, and they have a great group, and they're tough and together. I think some of the experiences we've had, you know, playing at Tennessee in the exhibition game, playing at Army, some of these other games, I thought that prepared us a little bit better. But credit our guys, because we took a lot of punches throughout the game, had to weather some foul trouble, had to weather some plays that, you know, I didn't think were characteristic, and a lot of it goes to the credit of Michigan State and their defense. They are as good of a defense as anybody. But at the end of the day, I thought the will from our guys to make one or two more plays, Cam (Boozer) and Isaiah (Evans) from the stretch. I thought Nick (Khamenia) and Dame (Sarr) made some big time plays throughout. And then I thought Caleb (Foster), clutch shot he hit on the wing, he hit the switches. I'm just really proud. This is a difficult place to play. 10 games in and we get a little bit of a pause. We'll learn, grow, and see how we can continue to get better. We don't want this to be the peak of our season. We have a lot we want to play for.
On the key for Cameron Boozer in the second half...
I think they had a great game plan, I thought, to begin with. They have size and they were physical. They did a great job protecting the paint. I thought we have to be better in just getting touches early because he (Cameron Boozer) just makes life easier. We were a little bit sped up, and the way they play can make you be sped up. It turned out to be a game, I had to call more, I don't want to do that as much but we had to in this game. Just making sure we're getting our guys in the right spots. I thought Cam just wills and drives. They had some good walls up, they scored over the top. I thought the play made, the pass to Caleb (Foster), a lot of guys get that stolen from them. I think Fears was right there, just how strong he is with a wall. That was a big time play.
On switching to the zone...
Well, one, when (Jaxon) Kohler hits four threes in the first half, it spooks you a little bit. That's not necessarily they're strength and what they do. So we had to adjust starting there, and then obviously (Jordan) Scott gave them a big lift. I think it was a combination of just trying to keep everything in front of us, give them a different look, especially in the second half, and then we had foul trouble. When you're trying to make sure to protect those guys, Pat (Ngongba), Cam (Boozer), and Maliq (Brown), all had fouls. Just trying to protect those guys as well. Then once we got those stops and did a pretty good job, we just kept it going."
On his message to his players in foul trouble...
You can't play Michigan State worrying about fouls. You can't play when you're being soft. You can't get any silly ones and all that. But for those guys, they still had to play. That's part of our strength, is we have three. To me, Maliq (Brown), Caleb (Foster) and Pat (Ngongba), three of the best big guys in the country. Obviously Cam (Boozer) isn't a big with how he plays, but there's size and the versatility we have. That's the first time we've had all of them in foul trouble. We went small at one time, I didn't want to go small against these guys, but with Cam and Nik (Khamenia), you can do that. You just have to continue to block out, be physical and protect the basket.
On Cam Boozer putting his first half behind him...
For sure. There's no question. We challenge him and all that, but he's the hardest on himself. Part of it was that we have to do a better job getting him touches, and part of it is he has to find his impact on the game. He still rebounded in the first half, but offensively he has to touch it and we have to get good shots from it. So down the stretch we really did that.
On the depth of Duke's roster…
I think both things can be true. I think what Cam (Boozer) is doing is incredible, and I think we have great depth and different guys stepping up. And, you know, Nick (Khamenia) didn't even practice, you know, in our last game. He sprained his ankle, you know, it was, he was in a lot of pain. So, he's been living in the training room. Our medical team did an amazing job, getting him back, you know, ready to play today. And then, with the way they were playing us too there, it seemed like they were willing to give that up. They weren't going to give, you know, Cam just seeing, you know, the wide-open rim. And so that's important to have some guys that can knock down some shots. Nick did that. Caleb (Foster). I still think our best shooting games are going to be ahead of us. I think once we start, there's three or four shots. I think we can just, throughout the game, if we just have a little better shot selection, I think that percentage will go up.Â
On MSU's backcourt shooting struggles this game…
Yeah, I mean, look, we can't take credit for them missing every shot. I mean, I thought our defense was good. We want to make life difficult for (Jeremy) Fears as much as possible, not because of his scoring, but just because of how much he creates for them. But, you know, he still had 13 assists. So, his impact, his imprint on the game was there for sure. 
And, you know, they've had different guys. That fifth spot has rotated for them a little bit. So even though (Kur) Teng didn't score, he's dangerous. (Jordan) Scott came in and gave him that lift as well. So, I think they have a team just like ours where different guys can come in and make an impact.Â
On what he learned about his team this week…
Well, I think there's something to be said with figuring out a way to win. You know, I think that really is a skill. And for our team, you know, we're not playing a schedule where you're going to just get separation and that's not the way it's going to be in March. ACC play. So, for us, learning, especially down the stretch. You know, we've done both. We've executed, which for a young team is important, and then we've had just the will just to get enough stops, and what an amazing experience for us these last three games. We're going to learn so much. I think our toughness will grow from it. I think for these guys, there's, I mean, in each one, it's a neutral game, a home game and a road game. And so, it's scary going into it, but this is what we signed up for, and we felt like we could come out on other side with some wins and really learning about ourselves.Â
On biggest points of emphasis coming into the game...
You know, I think Michigan State is unique with Coach Izzo. I think they have their own style, right? Because they have the combination of playing really fast. They hurt us in transition. You know, I wasn't happy with that, but they're good at it. They do it all the time. You know, they had 17 fast break points. So, there's that. But then also the fact that they're a physical bruising team. And, you know, they had 13 offensive rebounds. I thought overall we did a decent job. I would have to go back and really watch. But those two things are unique. A lot of teams play fast. You know, a lot of teams do that, but not a lot of teams play fast and have the physical presence of rebounding and attacking the paint.Â
On how difficult it is to win in the Breslin…
I think it does. It's really 12 games in my mind because we learned a lot playing UCF and Tennessee in the exhibition games, but those 12 games, seven Power 4 schools, only one of the games was at home. The rest were neutral and on the road. Even though our program has had a lot of great success, every team is new. So, I think when you go through this and you realize, no, okay, we can win while also understanding, I don't think we've played our best yet. You know, I really don't. And that's on me to and our staff to continue to bring that out. But this is definitely going to be a great lesson and a great reference point to look back to as we go on in this year.Â
Michigan State redshirt-sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr:
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On the difference in little moments today vs. Duke...
They just made the plays, we didn't. Not really much you can say about it. They came up with the loose balls, the offensive rebounds, free-throw cutouts. They just made the plays.
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On Jordan Scott's growth, allowing him to play crucial minutes...
Just how hard he plays. Obviously, as a freshman, he's probably going to make some mistakes on some coverages. Some of the stuff that we talked about, probably going to make a mistake, but you know, his effort and he plays hard, so he kind of makes up for some of those situations, which is huge.
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Thoughts on ceiling of the team so far this year...
That we can play with anybody. We were in the game with them the whole game. It came down to a one, two-possession thing. Some hard calls, a rebound that we missed, a cutout they ended up coming up with, and, it comes down to making shots too. I missed every shot I put up today. It kind of happens, but at the same time, I've got to make those plays. I've got to make some of those shots, and it just changed the game.
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Michigan State senior center Carson Cooper:
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On what can be learned in a game like today's...
Yeah, the margin, like our margin for error, is already pretty small if we want to get to where we want to get to. In games like this, it's even smaller. So, I think that for us, it's understanding how to really close games. We had games earlier where we figured out how to close games. There are little things here and there that we can nitpick, but at the end of the game, it's tough to pinpoint one or two plays that make or break the game. Because there's so many things that we could go back on early. The amount of threes they made early, and then you could even go back to some of the second half stuff with the cutouts that we missed, and little things like that. This is a big week of just minimizing that and learning how to cut that out and keep our goals.
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Thoughts on what was working against (Cameron) Boozer in first half...
I don't know what he was expecting from us, but for me, I just wanted to come out and make my presence felt as early as possible. I didn't do a great job of minimizing the ball screen coverage, which I think is one of my stronger suits. So personally, I'll take a hit with that because maybe I was hugging too much on Boozer than helping the guards out. That's why they were able to get so many threes. At the end of the day, we just have to play team basketball and whatever happens, happens. But I feel like we did overall, a solid job on them.
Michigan State senior forward Jaxon KohlerÂ
On the difference in play today…Â
In today's game, there were little things that made a big difference. For me, there were a couple of cut-outs that I didn't do a good enough job on and it led to an extra possession for them. There were a couple little things here and there that had a really big impact on how the game went and after we watch film we're going to make sure that we emphasize how important those little things are because as you've seen today, they can impact the win or loss of a game.Â
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On the pressure there is when creating little mistakes that impact the game…Â
We do feel that pressure. I would say that for the young and new guys they don't quite understand it the way me, Coop [Carson Cooper], Fears [Jeremy Fears] and Coen [Carr] understand it, because I don't think they (younger guys)Â quite understand the impact it has on a game that could be won or lost. When that happens, the first person we get on is ourselves. It's like, "Ah, man." There were two sides of it: one is that you have to do your best to not make those small mistakes, but at the same time, we're human, it happens. It's just really unfortunate that those little mistakes led to huge plays.Â
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On the next step for him and the team…Â
When they change defenses like that, and they start switching on the pick and pop stuff, I have to be better in the post. I think honestly right now the post play is not where it should be and it's the next thing that we're really going to be focusing on because sometimes I think the shots just kind of rattle in and out and it's unfortunate that happens, but it's nothing that more work in the gym won't fix and making winning plays. I still have to keep pursuing those rebounds and Coop [Carson Cooper] had a great night with those rebounds, unbelievable numbers but I have to make sure that I'm a constant threat on the boards.Â
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Michigan State junior forward Coen CarrÂ
On the difference in success today compared to prior games…Â
We did capitalize on a lot of things. I feel like they got us on a lot of offensive rebounds late and we couldn't rebound the ball. I feel like I didn't do what I was supposed to do on a lot of things. I missed a free throw, didn't finish some layups, so I just feel like we weren't doing things we normally do and weren't doing things to win.
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On Jordan Scott's growth and game…Â
Jordan plays hard. If he doesn't do nothing else, he's going to play hard. I feel like that's the main thing, he plays hard. He's started hitting shots now, and that's a plus because we brought him in as a shooter, he's going to start hitting shots now. I feel like he's just going to keep getting better and better.Â
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On whether it was more frustration or discouragement after the loss…Â
We were up five, and things like that, we didn't make plays we should've made or usually make and it cost us the game. It was definitely more frustration than anything because we know we could've done things better that game.Â
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On where the team needs to grow to succeed…Â
I feel like…everything. On the defensive side of the ball we have to grow a lot more, chemistry to build a lot more, just a lot. Also, on offense, we could hit some more shots. I feel like once we start doing that and everyone gets comfortable, I feel like overall this team just has a lot that we could grow on.
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