How Duke basketball is getting through its rare struggles. ‘We all hate losing.’
Duke being young is nothing new, but the Blue Devils losing games at this pace is.
For most of the last decade, freshmen have been key factors for coach Mike Krzyzewski’s basketball teams.
The difference was, in most seasons, they didn’t play like inexperienced players so the Blue Devils won at their usual clip.
This season, particularly in late-game situations in ACC play, the Blue Devils have come up short, which is why Duke (7-8, 5-6 ACC) has a losing record entering Saturday’s game with N.C. State at PNC Arena.
The Blue Devils have won three ACC games by double-digits beating Notre Dame, 75-65, on Dec. 16, Wake Forest, 79-68 on Jan. 9 and Clemson, 79-53, on Jan. 30.
The remaining eight games were still in doubt in the final two minutes. Duke has gone 2-6 in those games, including dropping its last three games to Miami, 77-75, North Carolina, 91-87, and Notre Dame, 93-89.
“We’ve won with young teams,” Krzyzewski said Thursday on his SiriusXM radio show, `Basketball and Beyond.’ “We deserve the record we have because we haven’t done well in those last two minutes. Also, my guys have done a good job. I’m totally behind them. As a coaching staff and me as a coach, I’m totally responsible for this and will be. But I’ll have my guys backs because we’ve got to keep getting better.”
While winning enough to make the NCAA tournament is improbable this late in the season, Duke has two choices as it seeks to at least get its record back above .500. The Blue Devils can play better in late and close situations or they can build larger leads and hold on to them.
Allowing Notre Dame to sneak back and win
When the Blue Devils built an early 23-8 lead over Notre Dame on Tuesday, and led 60-51 early in the second half, it appeared they were on their way to making the final minutes moot. But Duke’s leaky defense allowed Notre Dame back into the game and the Irish rallied to win.
“I think the team, we’ve been playing really hard,” Duke freshman forward Henry Coleman said Thursday. “I think that’s one thing that hasn’t lacked throughout our performance. A lot of games have come down to one or two possessions, so I think if we can cut out games coming down to one or two possessions then we’ll be a more successful team. Like I said, guys have been playing hard, and guys are still staying in the gym. We’re staying positive and we’re just ready to work each and every day.”
Duke showed that toughness, both of mind and play, during the second half against Notre Dame. Even after the Irish took its first lead of the game at 63-62 with 14:28 to play, Duke scored on five of its next six possessions.
For nearly seven minutes of play, from 14:28 to 7:50, the lead changed hands 11 times. After that, the game was tied three times, including the final tie at 83-all with 4:49 to play.
From there, Notre Dame scored on five of its final eight possessions to eke out the win.
Dealing with another harsh dose of losing is no fun for the Blue Devils.
“I’ve been sick of it since our first loss,” Duke sophomore forward Wendell Moore said after the game. “We all hate losing. At this point in our season, and coach says it all the time, we have no choice but to get better. We just have to keep fighting, keep playing hard. Things are going to start going our way.”
Blue Devils haven’t given up hope
Yes, while the Blue Devils are weary of the losing, they haven’t given up hope. The players and coaches say the work ethic between games remains at a high level.
“We see our guys working and doing well,” Krzyzewski said, “but the bottom line in the standings is your record. We have to make sure that our guys keep positive, keep working and keep getting better.”
Playing close but falling short isn’t good enough, Moore said.
“I think at this point a sign of progress would be a win for us,” Moore said. “Especially the past couple of games, we’ve been so close – it’s always been one, two plays we could’ve made then we were right there. I think the next step for us is just winning. We’re only going to do that by, in these games, keep fighting when our backs are against the wall.”
Duke at NC State
When: 4 p.m., Saturday
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
Watch: ESPN