Observations from Duke-Wake

WINSTON-SALEM -- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said guard Nolan Smith was “banged up” after knocking knees with another player Wednesday night at N.C. State and didn’t have the athleticism early in the game that he normally possesses.

“He was still really good, especially down the stretch,” Krzyzewski said. Being banged up didn’t stop Smith from playing 37 minutes. And Krzyzewski said that with some time off between Saturday and Duke’s next game Thursday, Smith should be fine.

• Players on both teams kept cool heads and prevented a second-half shoving match from escalating. Wake Forest center Carson Desrosiers was on top of Duke guard Tyler Thornton after a loose ball went out of bounds, and the Blue Devils’ Kyle Singler came over to nudge Desrosiers off Thornton.

Two Wake Forest players took exception on the play and confronted Singler. The Deacons’ J.T. Terrell was called for a technical foul. The crowd didn’t like it, but it didn’t amount to much.

• Forward Travis McKie remains the most productive freshman in a highly rated Wake Forest class. McKie led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds and shot 5-for-9 from the field. He also entered the game as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.