Duke vs UNC Postgame Press Conference: Duke’s Full Transcript

Duke Postgame Press Conference After Duke’s hard-fought 74-71 win over North Carolina, head coach Jon Scheyer, Kon Knueppel, and Tyrese Proctor spoke about closing out the game, overcoming UNC’s second-half surge, and the significance of sweeping their rival. Scheyer credited his team’s resilience and late-game execution, while Knueppel and Proctor reflected on key plays in the final moments that secured Duke’s spot in the ACC Championship Game. Here’s the full transcript from their postgame press conference:

Jon Scheyer, Kon Knueppel & Tyrese Proctor Duke 74, North Carolina 71 Friday, March 14, 2025 | Spectrum Center | Charlotte, NC

Q. Jon, what’s your immediate reaction after pulling out this win?

JON SCHEYER: I'm not sure I'm going to be able to give you the best rundown of that game. It's still a blur to me. I thought our team had incredible fight stepping up, Coop and Maliq being out, and I thought Tyrese and Kon in particular, they just had a great presence about them.

Our defense was great in the first half. And then in the second half, we knew they’d put more pressure on their defense with their transition and probably had a couple of turnovers we wish we could have back to get them going.

But you have to make enough winning plays, and tonight we made one more winning play than they did to get the win. A ton of respect for them. We knew this would be a heck of a game, and couldn't be more proud of our team, but these two guys sitting next to me with what they did.

Q. Tyrese, can you walk us through that last defensive possession?

TYRESE PROCTOR: We were just in our defense, switching everything. The goal was simple: no threes, no fouls. We executed and forced them into a tough shot.

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, I was just guarding Powell in the corner, saw the guys out there switching pretty well, didn’t look like much was open, so they settled for a Ven-Allen Lubin fadeaway three.

Q. What was your reaction when UNC had the lane violation at the end?

KON KNUEPPEL: I’ve never seen anything like that before, especially up one. That was very interesting. But yeah, we were obviously pretty happy. They didn’t even get a shot at tying it.

TYRESE PROCTOR: I agree with everything he said.

Q. It was a 30-24 game, and you guys closed the first half on a 15-0 run. What was working?

TYRESE PROCTOR: Our defense. We were on every 50/50 ball, diving on the floor first, and that triggered our offense. Offense is contagious when you’re playing great defense, and that’s what happened.

KON KNUEPPEL: We were holding them to one shot, getting the rebound, and attacking the paint. That’s something we want to do as a team all the time, and we did that very well in that stretch.

Q. When UNC cut it back to single digits, what was the mindset?

TYRESE PROCTOR: Same mentality—find a way to win. Coach always talks about it. We knew it was going to be a battle, and we just had to stay focused and execute down the stretch.

Q. How does it feel to sweep UNC?

TYRESE PROCTOR: Feels great.

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, it's pretty sweet. I don’t think it’s happened for a while. Very happy with it.

Q. Kon, those two free throws at the end—what was going through your mind?

KON KNUEPPEL: Just step up and knock them down. I knew if I hit both, it would seal it. So I took a deep breath and trusted my mechanics.

Q. Jon, how different was this game without Cooper and Maliq?

JON SCHEYER: Obviously, you’re missing a guy in Cooper who can break down defenses and create shots, and Maliq’s defensive versatility is huge. But I thought Pat and Khaman were incredible stepping up. Those two freshmen combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds—that’s huge for us.

Q. How much confidence does this give you heading into the ACC Championship?

TYRESE PROCTOR: A lot. We know what’s at stake. One more win, and we’re champions.

KON KNUEPPEL: Yeah, we’ll be ready. It’s going to be a great challenge.

Q. Jon, what’s the update on Cooper and Maliq?

JON SCHEYER: Maliq re-dislocated his shoulder, so we’ll evaluate him once we’re back. No timeline yet. Cooper’s imaging came back negative, but he sprained his ankle pretty good. He won’t play tomorrow, but our goal is to have him ready for the NCAA Tournament.

Q. Final thoughts on this game?

JON SCHEYER: This was a battle. They came at us hard in the second half, but we stayed together and made plays when we needed to. That’s what great teams do. Now, we turn the page and get ready for the ACC Championship.