The score alone should be enough to show that the 52-50 defeat at Virginia on Saturday night was primarily the result of a strategic failure on the part of Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff.
The score alone is definitely enough to show Krzyzewski did little to help keep the bulk of the game from becoming just as boring and snail-paced as the opponent wanted.
Rather than have Tre Jones stick to pushing the pace — which was the case for a stretch when the Blue Devils erased an early six-point deficit and then again when they turned a 25-25 halftime tie into a 35-28 lead — Krzyzewski played into the hands of Cavaliers defending national champion Tony Bennett by allowing both teams to casually walk the ball up the floor.