Coach K says the Day After the UNC Loss was One of the Toughest He’s had at Duke

The Blue Devils got a huge bounce-back win Saturday night when they defeated Syracuse 75-65 in the Carrier Dome, but it’s the days preceding the game that will stick with Hall of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Wednesday night – in one of the most highly anticipated college basketball games in recent memory – National Player of the Year candidate, Zion Williamson, went down with a knee injury in the first minute of play after his sneaker fell apart when he went to pivot.  Williamson did not return to the contest and Duke would go on to lose to UNC 88-72.

News cycles after the game were filled with questions about player safety, the one-and-done rule and if Zion, the projected #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, should play another second of college basketball. Coach K says with the loss and the uproar that Zion’s injury  caused, last Thursday was one of the toughest of his 38 years at Duke.

“Well, it is not just adjusting without Zion, the last 48 hours, everybody has opinions about everything. It is not just playing, its amateurism. Thursday for me, was one of the toughest 24 hours I have had as a coach at Duke. One, getting over the psychological stuff that happened to our team. We were not back. I met with almost every one of my guys individually. The three freshmen, together and just asking them ‘how did they feel’ and ‘how do they feel now’ and while trying to handle whatever else was happening. Thank goodness I have a great team around me – my support people. I asked my team, ‘we just went through hell these last 24 hours’, and I could depend on everybody. We need to be that team, where you can depend on everybody, and they were. I am really proud of my team.”

It has not been announced when Williamson will return – although he’s not expected to follow the advice of the many people who say he should rest the remainder of the college basketball season.

Next the Blue Devils will travel to Blacksburg to take on the 20th ranked Virgina Tech Hokies this coming Tuesday.

Game Notes:

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