Jon Scheyer has coached a lot of great players in his brief time as Duke head coach, but he hasn't seen any player like Cooper Flagg.

The Coach of the Year race is wide open as February looms with a plethora of candidates making great cases for consideration. While Bruce Pearl of No. 1 Auburn and Jon Scheyer of No. 2 Duke are obvious names,

Junior forward Maliq Brown has been sidelined for nearly three weeks with a sprained knee. The Duke defensive specialist is making progress toward a return.

Celtics assistant Amile Jefferson, who was a 2015 national champion in Scheyer's early days as a Blue Devil assistant and served on his first-year staff in 2022-23, and Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, who was a 2016-17 Duke basketball one-and-done before becoming an All-NBA sensation and 2024 champion, swiftly reciprocated that show of support.

Ahead of Saturday's matchup against UNC, Duke head men's basketball coach Jon Scheyer spoke with media about the rivalry. When asked if Carolina's 13-9 record makes them a more dangerous team, Scheyer candidly admitted that records don't matter when it comes to this contest.