Watching from the bench on Friday night as their teammates fought off an unranked yet underrated and brash Georgetown squad, 81-73, two Blue Devils surely received one message loud and clear: Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski only trusts his toughest pieces during the toughest battles.
When in the midst of down-and-dirty affairs, the West Point grad has never had the patience to deal with his most delicate pieces. Therefore, after his Blue Devils trailed, 22-12, with nine minutes remaining in the first half, Krzyzewski never again threw either freshman forward Matthew Hurt or junior guard Alex O’Connell into the load.