ATLANTA - Basketball coaches, almost as a rule, refuse to take credit for wins, and Mike Krzyzewski would never have usurped Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer at the post-game press conference Sunday in the bowels of the Georgia Dome. His demure reaction to cutting down his first net since 2006 was predictable, too.
But if Duke's 79-69 win belonged to Henderson, Scheyer and Kyle Singler, it wouldn't have been possible without Krzyzewski and a certain coaching move.
On Jan. 26, Duke became the No. 1 team in the country. On Feb. 4, Duke lost to Clemson by 27 points. On Feb. 15, Duke dropped its fourth game in six tries.
And on March 15, the Blue Devils played as well as they have all season in winning the ACC Tournament.
What happened during that one-month span? Why does Krzyzewski deserve credit for the title?
Because he made Scheyer-a starter as a freshman, the sixth man as a sophomore and a shooting guard most of the time-the team's primary ballhandler, and for the Blue Devils, that has made all the difference.
Scheyer's prowess at point guard is the reason this team is playing better than it has all year, just one month after playing worse than it had all year.
It's not a coincidence that the Blue Devils are 8-1 since Scheyer started to take the ball up. Running the offense through him makes everyone-including Scheyer-more efficient, and Duke is better for it.
"I knew he would handle it," Krzyzewski said of Scheyer's new role. "He's such a good player that, placed in that level of responsibility, somebody who is really good will show you even better things. So I'm not into expecting, I'm into seeing. And what I'm seeing is magnificent play. He's done such a good job because he values the ball. We're not going to make highlight tapes of him leading the fast break, but he's done a great, great job."
The biggest difference isn't even his uptick in points, which is notable in its own right. Before the move, Scheyer averaged 11.9 points per game. In the nine games since, he's posted a 20.2 points average, including a career-high 30 against Wake Forest Feb. 22 and 29 Sunday.
It isn't even his 3-point percentage, which is up from 33.0 percent to 46.1 percent, a rise that can be attributed to his shooting over smaller, less-athletic defenders, having the ball in his hands more and simply breaking out of a season-long shooting slump.
Scheyer makes Duke better because he doesn't turn the ball over. In nine games, he's committed just 10 turnovers, compared to 21 assists. As a team, the Blue Devils turned the ball over just four times Sunday. In the embarrassing loss to Clemson, Duke had 16 turnovers.
And Scheyer's the cause for the discrepancy.
"He's probably the reason why they are where they are," Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. "That was a great move, moving him to the point guard. He settles them down. He makes you pay every time you make a defensive mistake.
"He has a calming effect on their team that allows them to play at the pace that they like. He doesn't turn the ball over, and he is really, truly a quarterback out there on the floor. He's in control of the system when he's running the point."
And because Krzyzewski made one simple tweak, Duke is better prepared to make a run in the NCAA Tournament than it was in Scheyer's first two seasons. If that sounds familiar, it should. The last time Krzyzewski made a major shift in the starting lineup, in 2001, coincides with the last time the ACC Tournament was in Atlanta.
Duke cut down the nets in the Georgia Dome that year.
It also ran the table in the NCAA Tournament to bust out the scissors again.
Scheyer's move to the point allowed this team to raise one banner. Given the way Duke is playing, it might help the Blue Devils hoist another one, too.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.