Duke Falls Short

This was not a good week for Duke basketball and the Blue Devils should be kicking themselves. They let two get away, and instead of being in a tie for first place in the ACC, they are two games back in the loss column with Carolina coming to Cameron on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Duke easily jumped ahead of Florida State 27-10 and then just as easily let them right back in it. Florida State had never before won in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Now they have a 68-67 win. The Blue Devils have lost three conference games by a total of five points. Duke at home losing a 17-point lead won't happen often, but this is a Blue Devils team that is still trying to find its way.

You could hear the pain in coach Mike Krzyzewski's voice when he said,  "The last two games have been very tough losses. We have to get our bearings straight and keep fighting. It's as difficult as it gets because we were right there."

You can never fault Duke for effort. It's almost always there. Execution is sometimes another matter.

Duke had their chances. They came from six down to pull to within one point, but couldn't get over the hump.

In the closing seconds, Greg Paulus missed a driving lay-up. But on a tie-up on the ensuing scramble, the possession arrow went to Duke with 4.2 seconds left. The Devils then got the ball in to Josh McRoberts, who missed a very makeable shot. At the buzzer, DeMarcus Nelson's tip was no good.

Florida State celebrated and they did it to boos from the Cameron Crazies.

"That was just a little excitement," Noles star Al Thornton, who scored 21 points, said. "I think we overdid it, but we apologize though, that we did all that."

The Noles had every right to be happy. They lost a one-point overtime game to Duke a year ago. They were down by 17 in this one, but found a way to win. Thornton is really good and they've got some shooters. FSU has now won three straight conference games and they're right there with Duke at 5-4 in the conference. This one was huge for them.

Josh McRoberts, for all his attributes, does have trouble finishing. He missed a good shot at the end of regulation in the loss to Virginia, and he missed another good shot Sunday.

Duke is a team that plays hard. Their sheer determination keeps them in games, but they don't have that go-to guy who they can count on to score when they need it. You saw that against Virginia. You saw that Sunday.

DeMarcus Nelson tried to be one, but he was only six of 19 shooting. McRoberts needs to be, but he doesn't take enough shots and many times will miss what seem like shots that a player of his caliber should make.

Greg Paulus was a bright spot. He scored a career-high 23 points, hit four of six 3-pointers, and turned it over just twice. His problems of early January seem to be over.

Coach K knows this is a young team that is getting better, but the learning curve can be steep and the expectations that always surround Duke basketball allow for no excuses.

"Duke has set a benchmark," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "And they set it awfully high."

So, Mike Krzyzewski knows that no one except Duke fans are lamenting that his team is young. That's what the success of the last decade has brought. Coach K knows that nobody feels sorry for the Blue Devils. He doesn't want that anyway. It's not him.

An angry Carolina team will come to Cameron on Wednesday. After their lackluster effort against State, they will be more than ready. Roy Williams will make sure of that.

Most times it's the opponent that has to find a way to meet Duke's intensity. This time, it will be an emotionally-drained Duke team having to reach deep to meet the Tar Heels' fire they know is coming.

Two teams both needing wins will add just a little more to what is already Duke vs. Carolina.

There are so many "what ifs" in life. For Duke, this past week was full of them. Two losses by three points. Two losses in games in which they had leads. Duke doesn't often lose games at Cameron. They already lost two league games there this season.

Now they prepare for the invading boys in light blue.