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DURHAM — Losing never is a comfortable feeling around Duke’s basketball program.
Yet in the aftermath of Saturday’s 76-73 loss to Florida State that ended the Blue Devils’ 45-game home court winning streak, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said he didn’t feel the need to come down hard on his team.
“Overall, our guys have done a pretty good job,” Krzyzewski said Monday. “If you lose and you are busting it the whole game and you just lose, I’m very positive with our kids if that happens.”
Krzyzewski said he and his staff take that approach, focusing not just on the outcome but what went into it.
“It’s more in how we handle a performance,” Krzyzewski said. “You might win and not perform well, so we would be hard on our guys about that. You can lose and not play well, and you are going to be hard. You can lose and really play well and it’s just going to be a little different reaction.
“Instead of using the word losing, I would say poor performances are what we spend a lot of time reacting to. It’s one reason we haven’t had as many over the years.”
After their loss on Saturday, the No. 8-ranked Blue Devils (16-3, 4-1 ACC) are tied with N.C. State (15-5, 4-1) and Florida State (13-6, 4-1) for first place in the conference. Preseason favorite North Carolina (16-3, 3-1) is a half game back.
Duke senior forward Miles Plumlee, one of the team’s captains, said the team feels good about its effort. But allowing Florida State to score 50 points in the second half means there’s more work to be done.
“It’s always tough,” Plumlee said. “It’s probably the hardest we’ve fought in game since Kansas. On the other hand, we definitely let up defensively in the second half. We did a great job in the first half.
“We’ve got to have our habits when we are tired. In the second half, we’ve still got to lock up.”
Duke associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski said Monday that defense certainly is an area of emphasis coming out of the FSU loss.
“If you give up 50 points in a half, you’re not going to beat a good team,” Wojciechowski said. “At least we aren’t.”
Quinn Cook update
Krzyzewski said freshman point guard Quinn Cook was limited to one minute against Florida State because of an illness he was suffering from last week.
Cook, a starter in four consecutive games before the Florida State game, was replaced in the starting lineup on Saturday. He came off the bench to play briefly against the Seminoles before returning to the bench.
Krzyzewski said Cook also had a bruised knee last week, a different injury than the knee problems that required surgery and kept him out of the team’s exhibition tour to China and Dubai last August.
“He had a tough week with his knee,” Krzyzewski said. “He was sick during the week. Young guys, especially, they can get knocked back real quick. They are not accustomed to the grind of game after game week after week.
“He was not able to practice at the level he had been practicing at. Hopefully, he’ll be more healthy this week and more of a factor.”
Rivers honored again by ACC
Duke freshman guard Austin Rivers was named the ACC’s Freshman of the Week for the fourth time on Monday.
Rivers scored 20 points in Duke’s 91-73 win over Wake Forest on Thursday and followed it with a 19-point game against Florida State.
