The end of the season was far from ideal for Duke. We can blame injuries, but frankly, Duke just didn’t have a great March for its standards. However, a deep run in March Madness built some momentum again, only for it to stop short in the Elite Eight against UConn.
Not only did Duke lose, but it lost in crushing fashion in a game it had won.
For former Duke head coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski, the loss hurt. However, he doesn’t believe Duke lost because of one play or one mistake.
“It wasn’t one play, I’m telling you. We turned the ball over too much because of Connecticut’s defense,” Krzyzewski said, per The Athletic. “When you get live-ball turnovers, you have numerical superiority going down to the offensive end just to go take it to the hole better. And they got their offensive mojo going.”
As we saw UConn do, it forces turnover after turnover. The run UConn went on in the second half was very impressive and at times, we just have to tip our cap.
“(UConn was) a different team defensively in the second half and (were) seeing the ball go in,” Krzyzewski said of Duke’s blown lead this year. “They were aggressive offensively then, and (they) got Duke into some foul trouble. They saw free throws go in, and they saw some layups go in. And that gave them the momentum. They were not going to get knocked out.”
Still, Krzyzewski’s comments were more about how Duke players might be feeling and the reality of losing a game like that. Emotions have been flying high for the fanbase but we all need to remember that these are kids in a tough spot at the end of the day who want to lose less than anyone else.
“Jon’s primary concern is making sure he takes care of those young men. They had a magnificent season, one of the best ever,” Krzyzewski said. “And you lose, it’s so abrupt and from, you know, the joy to the agony.
“He needs to for sure embrace collective responsibility. You win and you lose together, so no one individual player bears the burden of that alone.”