Resiliency is a trait that can’t be taught and must be acquired and while Duke has faced adversity at points this season, they have certainly been able to weather the storm.

Saturday night in the nation’s capitol was no different, as #3 Duke faced off against #1 Michigan and they fought off a pesky Wolverine squad 68-63. Michigan came out of the gates with an early boost from Yaxel Lendeborg, however the second half was all Blue Devils, as they discombobulated the Michigan offense, holding them to 28% from the field in the final stanza.

In an environment that felt like a Final Four-lite, Duke found a way to make the necessary adjustments to slow down what started out as a very efficient offense for Michigan. While the halftime adjustments were critical, the Blue Devils were able to complement by doing all of the little things with a high amount of effort.

Duke outrebounded Michigan 41-28, including 9 offensive rebounds in the second half, which turned into an 18-11 advantage in second chance points. The Blue Devils were also able to outscore Michigan in the paint 34-24, which made the Wolverines 28% shooting from beyond the arc a much bigger factor.

While the sky was briefly falling after a loss to arch rival North Carolina, Duke has now rattled off 4 wins in a row and have taken down the number one team in the nation. According to Duke Coach Jon Scheyer, the growth is evident and a win like tonight is something that is translatable to an NCAA tournament situation.

“I see the growth, you know, I see the connectivity on defense, I see the plays they’re making on offense, how to win in March and how to win going forward. And that’s the biggest thing that I saw.” Scheyer.

Overall on the evening it was a diverse effort for Duke who saw 4 players finish in double figures, however as the story has gone throughout the season, Cameron Boozer stole the show. Boozer finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and he played the final 8:42 with 4 fouls.

When Duke needed a bucket, Boozer got it for them, when they needed physical defense at the rim without a foul, he gave it to them. Boozer made his case to be considered the top freshman in college basketball with his performance tonight, doing a little bit of everything, while showing a veteran level of poise to play over 8 minutes without committing a foul.

While some freshmen would be daunted if they had only one foul to give with 8 minutes to play against the number one team in the country in front of 20,000 people, Boozer was ready for the moment and knew exactly what needed to be done.

“It is not difficult (to commit a foul), I came in with about 4 minutes left, having 4 fouls, that’s not something you can think about at that time. Obviously, Michigan is a physical team, if you don’t match that physicality and take it up a notch, it is going to hurt you,” Boozer said.

Jon Scheyer has seen a lot of talent come through the Cameron Indoor Stadium doors, but a night like tonight, where a freshman can find a way to play the game exactly as it needed to be played, still impresses him.

“He has done it before, I am not surprised by it. Of course it is impressive. In that moment, im sure he understands too, there is a balance, I thought he made a big point, you can’t just play where you have four fouls and not giving resistance, he did an amazing job of playing defense while also being smart,” Scheyer said.

Duke went on a 10 game win streak following their first loss to Texas Tech and now they are on a 4 game win streak after their most recent loss to UNC. This team has found a way to learn from their mistakes and it has put them in a position to be a serious contender by the time the NCAA tournament comes around.

While they should certainly celebrate this win and the position they are in, Scheyer is a perfectionist who knows he will find something his squad needs to improve upon prior to their next game against Notre Dame.

“A good part about me, and a big flaw, you know, of who I am, I’ll watch tonight, and think there’s a lot that we could have done better, and I think that’s a good thing. And, that doesn’t diminish, though, how proud I am of our team.

I think we still can get a lot better, but I think we’ve done that. I think this was just the next step, in order to prove that to show it. And the thing that I loved about these guys, you know, we’ve had some really cool wins this year. They don’t relax, they’re not satisfied either.

And so it makes it really easy for us as a coaching staff to meet with them, talk to them, figure out how we can keep taking the steps and elevate it,” Scheyer said.

Duke will look to elevate over the final few weeks of the season, potentially back as the #1 team in the country, as after tonight, they leave Washington D.C. with the feeling that they can beat any team in the nation. ,” Scheyer said.