Photo by Glen Gutterson/The Chronicle
Mike Krzyzewski gushed about Greg Paulus Saturday, saying the senior had earned the position of the team's leader after a gutsy performance against the Hurricanes.
Now, he's a starter again, too.
Paulus, a three-year starter replaced by Nolan Smith in the starting five, will start for the second consecutive game against No. 3 North Carolina Wednesday.
"Greg played a great game on Saturday. He did that with us as a group going through a very adverse time, and when somebody steps up in adversity and does a great job, that's the best," Krzyzewski said. "And he did that. He played a great game. He was all over the place.
"He came through at a very, very difficult time for this basketball team after Clemson, and that's a great thing."
Paulus scored a season-high 18 points in 40 minutes Saturday, including a game-changing 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils a cushion in regulation. Even though Paulus' starting role might not have surprised some at this time last year, his production stalled at the beginning of this season. He hit his nadir Jan. 10 at Florida State, when Paulus played only six minutes.
But suddenly, Paulus started Saturday after Duke turned in its worst performance in 19 years against Clemson, and the senior was there to provide the spark the Blue Devils needed.
For Krzyzewski, it didn't matter that Paulus would be matching up with North Carolina's Ty Lawson, perhaps the quickest guard Duke will face all season. Not even Smith would be able to stop Lawson by himself, Krzyzewski said.
"No one person can stop Lawson on the fast break," he said. "It's a team commitment to trying to slow their offense down. In a game against a really good opponent, the main thing is that you have more than five players."
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