Duke men's basketball's connections to the other Final Four teams

As Duke’s time in San Antonio draws near, there are ample connections between the Blue Devils and the remainder of the Final Four. The Chronicle breaks down some of those ties. 

Houston

In the 2006 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, now-head coach Jon Scheyer was just a bright-eyed freshman playing in his first-ever collegiate marquee matchup. A lot can change in 19 years; Scheyer went through a professional career and circled all the way back around to take the reins at Duke. But some things stay the same. One of those things was the presence of Kelvin Sampson. The Houston coach was on the other sideline in that November 2006 matchup against Indiana; he marched his Hoosiers into Cameron, and he will assume that same position Saturday in Scheyer’s biggest game as a head coach. 

Although The Chronicle wrote after the game that it was plagued by offensive consistency — it definitely was — the Blue Devils emerged with a 54-51 victory. Scheyer played 36 minutes in the contest, but only managed 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting. Former Chronicle writer Mike Van Pelt remarked after the game “The Blue Devils have no offensive identity right now.” That was likely true at the time; 2006-07 was not one of the bright spots of Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke tenure. But Scheyer figured it out, both as a player and a coach. And along the way, he maintained the same level of respect for how Sampson runs his program.

“Year 1 when I got the coaching job at Duke, you're trying to figure out what you can do. We sought out scrimmaging Houston,” Scheyer said. “That was the respect that I had for Coach Sampson, Houston's program and what they stand for. To be here competing against them, it's an honor.”

Now, he will meet Sampson again and will undoubtedly live with a victory any way he can get it. Sampson will look to exact revenge from that date and last year’s Sweet 16 matchup with Duke. In a matchup of two of the top defenses in the nation, the score could end eerily similar to that Indiana contest. But no matter the outcome, no admiration will be lost between the head honchos.

“I'll tell you how good Jon Scheyer has been. Nobody talks about him replacing Coach K anymore. He's Jon Scheyer. He's got his team in the Final Four. I think that speaks volumes for him,” Sampson said.

Auburn

The connection to the No. 1 seed out of the West region actually originates across the globe. Outside of the relatively simple comparison between coaches Jon Scheyer and Todd Golden — both are extremely young by coaching standards and experiencing unparalleled success early in their tenure as Jewish men heading up Power Five programs — the major link starts in Canberra, Australia. The city is home to Australia’s branch of the NBA Global Academy, and if you have followed Duke this season, that name should undoubtedly ring a bell. Khaman Maluach came over for his freshman season from the African branch of the school; but it also produced a current Gator and Blue Devil down under. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor and Florida center Alex Condon both took their talents to Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Canberra for more formal basketball training. Condon is a year younger, but the pair practiced against each other extensively. San Antonio is a far cry from Sydney or Perth, where Proctor and Condon are from, respectively, but it could be the place where the pair face off for the first time since high school.