"Why did we ever hire this guy?": Duke fans go off at Jon Scheyer as Cooper Flagg's bold call backfires vs Kentucky

Jon Scheyer's Duke Blue Devils hit a bump in their perfect start to the season on Tuesday night, suffering a 72-77 loss to No.19 Kentucky in the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Blue Devils were up by nine points but saw their lead evaporate in the second half as the Wildcats closed out the game with a 40-26 run.

Cooper Flagg had a solid game, scoring 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, but his two turnovers in the final minute cost the Blue Devils the game. Those late mistakes proved to be pivotal to the final result. Duke fans were left disappointed, especially as the team squandered its lead and many took to social media to criticize their third-year coach Jon Scheyer.

"Another masterful coaching performance by @JonScheyer, out coached again in a big game. Why did we ever hire this guy? Always the most talented team, always fail. Zero 2nd half adjustments. FIRE SCHEYER," one fan said.

"This loss is on Jon Scheyer and Cooper Flagg," a fan said.

"Needed the leaders Proctor and Foster to nail that coffin shut with a minute to go. If the play was for Coop, loss is on coach," another fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans.

"Jon Scheyer was a terrible hire!" one fan said.

"Scheyer with another loss in a big game. Choked when it came to closing out a game ... Scheyer will continue to recruit well but not coach well. Tired of saying it," a fan said.

"Scheyer can't draw up an actual play for end-game situations to save his life ... Scheyer hasn't learned by now. I'm not sure he ever will," one fan said.

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Jon Scheyer says he finds optimism in loss to Kentucky

Duke coach Jon Scheyer was gutted after losing to Kentucky since they were in the lead for most of the game.

"I think [Kentucky] showed incredible maturity and their experience came out in that second half," Scheyer said postgame.

Despite the loss, Scheyer said he saw the outcome as a good thing for the future.

"I feel more optimistic tonight losing than I did even before because you find out in this game, the character of your team, the heart that they have and this team's got a lot of heart," he added.

"We're going to grow and learn from this I promise you. The locker room is full of guys are disappointed heartbroken I'm with them."

The Blue Devils will be back in Durham to play Wofford on Saturday. Scheyer's team defeated Maine and Army Academy in their first two games to gain a head start before losing to the Wildcats.