BOSTON - After Duke lost to Villanova in the Sweet 16 Thursday, a reporter asked Mike Krzyzewski if he was happy with the performance of his team on the season, as the Blue Devils seemed to maximize their potential.
It was a far cry from the criticisms of the past few years that the Blue Devils had underachieved with star-laden rosters.
When the Duke head coach said that his team was "really good" and had an "amazing" season even though the Blue Devils had been upset by a better team, it was an admission that the reporter was correct: Perhaps this squad was only meant to reach the Sweet 16.
It was an admission that this group was not the best team on the floor, and hasn't been on a number of occasions in the past three seasons when it has taken the court.
And it was an admission that, yes, Duke had probably reached its peak this season.
For all of the Blue Devils' success this season-namely, an ACC Tournament title and a 30-win campaign, their first since 2006-their fortunes were largely dependent on their ability to shoot from long range and create offense from defense. When they ran into a more athletic Wildcat squad that could also take care of the ball, only a spectacular shooting night could have redeemed Duke.
After the game, Krzyzewski admitted that in addition to needing a bonafide post presence, his team also lacked a true point guard.
"We faced a team that was probably one of the worst teams you could face, for us," Krzyzewski said. "They can defend in all five positions and switch and do a lot of the things we do, except they can handle the ball better, because they've got those two points. And [Dante] Cunningham is really good.... It gives them a really strong, good presence."
The Wildcats' strengths underscored the Blue Devils' weaknesses: a lack of athleticism, no genuine ball-handler and no interior presence.
At the beginning of the season, when Duke breezed through its non-conference schedule, the inconsistencies of the offense-due to natural shooting guard Nolan Smith's running the point-were offset by a stifling defense that created easy transition baskets and eliminated the need for Smith to lead a halfcourt set. The bulk of the team's scoring came from the wings, as a myriad of post options all proved ineffective on the offensive end.
But for a while, the combo of Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler sufficed, especially when Gerald Henderson emerged as a scoring option who could create his own shot. The Blue Devils played well on defense, and their three scorers were enough to propel the team to a No. 1 ranking Jan. 26, something it hadn't accomplished in three years.
But once Duke hit the brunt of its conference schedule-and it became clear that not only was Smith inadequate as a makeshift point guard, but senior Greg Paulus also couldn't fill the role-a change was in order. And only Scheyer, another shooting guard, was left to assume ball-handling responsibilities. No doubt, the junior was able to value the ball, but he couldn't run the offense like a natural point.
"My biggest concern about Duke is that they're not getting easy baskets," CBS analyst Seth Davis said before the NCAA Tournament. "Sometimes, they can get Henderson on the break and get an easy one, but they don't have a point guard who can push that. Scheyer cannot do that."
And Davis' premonitions came to fruition. Against Villanova, the team that had prided itself on its defense scored six points off of turnovers and five points in transition.
The Blue Devils' inability to score in the paint also surfaced. Even when the Wildcats played a four-guard lineup, Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek and Singler couldn't post up inside, and the team literally died by the three.
In a way, the loss served as a microcosm of Duke's struggles on the year.
Villanova was quicker, and prevented driving to the rim so that the already cold-shooting Blue Devils had to settle for contested 3-pointers. With Scheyer at the point, Duke slowed the pace and scored the majority of its points in the halfcourt. The Blue Devils did play an aggressive man-to-man defense that limited Villanova's attack, but their frustration on offense eventually led to lapses on the other end, ultimately resulting in a losing effort.
Krzyzewski admitted it: Duke was beaten by a better opponent, which was the best that could be expected from a team with glaring holes at two key positions.
So, yes, Krzyzewski had reason to be satisfied with his team's effort. But for the third consecutive year, the Blue Devils could not have been satisfied coming up short of the biggest prize, yet again.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.