Once again, the Duke Blue Devils arrive at the Big Dance with a championship pedigree. They couldn’t close out the deal despite having a plethora of NBA talent last season, and Jon Scheyer knows the stakes and the pressure will be higher this time around.
If that wasn’t enough, they’ll have to take care of business for a Duke legend as well. In a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” legendary coach Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski made it loud and clear that he has no interest in anything else but Duke right now.
When asked whether he had any intel on other teams or was interested in picking games, the legendary coach said that he never had to do that because he was focused on the Blue Devils. He might not be their coach anymore, but he feels the same way now:
“I’m only concerned about my game, the Duke game. I’m not gonna go sightseeing through the NCAA tournament,” Coach K said, laughing. “I’m gonna watch my game and give Duke 100%.”
The No. 1-seeded Blue Devils will tip off their participation in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against No. 16 seed Siena at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. They will likely be without guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba II, both of whom are dealing with lingering foot injuries.
Foster underwent surgery and might return at some point in the tournament, but Ngongba is more day-to-day.
Scheyer’s team relied on projected top-five pick Cameron Boozer at the five to secure the ACC tournament with a seven-man rotation. His twin brother Cayden, Dame Sarr, Isaiah Evans, and Maliq Brown joined him in the starting five to take down Virginia in a close game.
Even with the injuries, the Blue Devils have enough talent to go the distance in March Madness, and with Coach K keeping a close eye on them, they better not crumble to the pressure again like they did last season.
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