Even though he is the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball history, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has to be scratching his head and wondering what is wrong with his team.
For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Blue Devils have been on the wrong side of the home scoreboard two times in ACC play. And they haven’t faced the hated Tar Heels yet.
The losses to Florida State and Miami are by a combined seven points, which means a basket here, a defensive stop there and the Blue Devils and the Cameron Crazies are celebrating a win instead of bemoaning a defeat.
However, the real issue is that teams are no longer afraid to march into Cameron Indoor Stadium and go toe-to-toe with Coach K and Duke. The Blue Devils’ home court was one of the most intimidating places to play in all of college basketball. When the Crazies started jumping up and down, you would think the building was shaking with them.
Toss in the fact the fans appear to be inches away from the court and Duke had an automatic five- to seven-point advantage at home.
And we haven’t even talked about the talent Coach K was putting on the court. Between the Kyle Singlers and Kyrie Irvings of the world, Duke had some of the best collegiate players in the country.
The Blue Devils are still getting outstanding players, but for some reason this season’s team is not coming together. Duke will still finish in the top 10 and earn a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, but something is lacking. The Blue Devils are in jeopardy of being one of those teams targeted for an early exit from March Madness.
Normally at this time of the season, Coach K has the Blue Devils starting to peak. After Sunday’s loss, Krzyzewski openly questioned his team’s toughness. Not a good thing to hear if you are a Duke player or fan with a visit to Chapel Hill up next.
“A Duke team should play with energy for 40 minutes, or 45,” Krzyzewski said. “Go outside right now and you look at the banners — there are quite a few of them up there. They were not won without energy, without hunger, with no complacency, with people really wanting it.”
The good news is that the Tar Heels are up next and if anything can get the Blue Devils to find the missing motivation they need to turn the season around, it’s a game with their rival — North Carolina.
— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com
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