TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- For the first time Wednesday night, Duke truly missed Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas.
During last season's NCAA championship run, the Blue Devils never got pushed around, even by the most physical, athletic opponents, when their senior post players Zoubek and Thomas were on the floor.
A 66-61 loss at Florida State on Wednesday was the first time this season that top-ranked Duke (15-1, 2-1 ACC) was pushed around. Forward Kyle Singler, who led Duke with 20 points, said the team wasn't ready in the first half for how physical the game was.
"We played with them for 30 minutes," Singler said. "But just initially, they knocked us back. We weren't ready for the start of the game."
Entering the game, Florida State (12-5, 2-1 ACC) had outrebounded all but two of its opponents. Duke was tough enough to post a 38-35 advantage on the boards, but it wasn't strong enough to finish in the lane as its 25-game winning streak ended.
The Blue Devils' shot selection told the story. They attempted 35 3-pointers, making 11. They tried just 26 two-point shots, connecting on eight. It added up to a season-low 31.1 percent shooting performance from the field as Duke posted its lowest point total of the season.
Afterward, Duke guard Nolan Smith thought the game would provide a blueprint for opposing coaches.
"Teams are going to watch this tape and see, 'This is how to get them.'" Smith said.
Smith, who was 3-for-10 on shots inside the 3-point arc Wednesday, said he needs to be more patient in the lane. He wants to use more shot fakes and draw more fouls.
But Smith and Singler weren't the problem Wednesday night. They combined for 39 points, while the rest of the team totaled just 22.
Post players Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly and Miles Plumlee combined for six points, shooting a combined 2-for-8 from the field.
"They're a big, strong team," Miles Plumlee said of Florida State, "and if you don't match their intensity, you're going to get stood up from the start."
Duke struggled to score in the lane, even though Florida State forward Chris Singleton said his team was content to play man-to-man against Duke close to the basket.
Singleton said Singler, Smith, Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry are so dangerous from 3-point range that Florida State's coaches elected not to sag off of them on dribble penetration or post feeds.
"We couldn't help off any of the shooters, because they're awesome shooters," Singleton said.
A similar defensive strategy has helped Duke under coach Mike Krzyzewski frustrate many a perimeter-oriented opponent. N.C. State, for example, was 3-20 against the Blue Devils in 10 seasons with coach Herb Sendek, partly because Duke pressed out on the perimeter to take away the 3-point shots in the Princeton-based offense.
Now Krzyzewski may have to make sure his own offense isn't too reliant on the 3-point shot. He is taking a more patient, longer view.
He said Duke still is learning how to play without Kyrie Irving, the freshman point guard who's out indefinitely with an injury to his right big toe.
"You just learn from the experience," Krzyzewski said. "We have a long way to go, and we have to keep getting better from these experiences."
