Duke's Mason Plumlee (5), Josh Hairston and Quinn Cook sit on the bench in the closing seconds of the Blue Devils' 62-59 loss to FSU. CHUCK LIDDY - cliddy@newsobserver.com
ATLANTA -- Could Duke’s ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Florida State on Saturday have been one of those rare occurrences where a loss was a good thing in the long run?
Perhaps that’s the case for the Blue Devils, whose 62-59 loss at least enabled the team to get an extra day’s rest before beginning the NCAA Tournament on Thursday or Friday.
While the defeat probably means the nationally 6<sup>th</sup>-ranked Blue Devils (27-6) will not be a regional No. 1 seed, they do get to go home, rest and find out if forward Ryan Kelly (right-foot sprain) can get healthy enough to start in the NCAA.
The Seminoles (23-9) could become a regional No. 3 with a win against UNC (29-4) in Sunday’s 1 p.m. 59<sup>th</sup> ACC championship game. If so, it would be a remarkable accomplished for a team that got stopped by Harvard and Princeton of the Ivy League.
That Duke missed Kelly on Saturday is undeniable. The 6-11 junior isn’t the most important player for the Devils, he fills a vital role on 3-point shooting and interior rotation.
“It hurts us to lose, but at least we lost the right way …,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
He then said Kelly was in a regular shoe.
“If we go to Greensboro (opening NCAA game) that gives us till Friday.”
In 2009, UNC lost to Florida State in the ACC semis when point guard Ty Lawson had to sit out with a foot injury. The Tar Heels then went to Greensboro to open the NCAA, beat Radford without Lawson in the first game and then escaped LSU in the second game when Lawson returned. From there, the Heels virtually sailed to the NCAA title.
By no stretch is Duke’s current team as talented as UNC in 2009, but the recovery time is still the same.
On the flip side, Carolina on Sunday doesn’t get a chance to play Duke for a third time but does get a chance to deal with that 90-57 loss to the Seminoles on Jan. 14, the lowest point of the season for the Heels.
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Comments
Tudor: Duke loss bad for hoops
Sat, 03/10/2012 - 22:58 — melvinfurdIf you're going to say "Tudor: Duke loss bad for hoops" maybe you should make at least a pathetic attempt at explaining what the heck you're talking about. Whatever point you're trying to make, if you're actually trying to make one, it sure went over my head.
I'd be lying if I didn't see this loss coming.
Sat, 03/10/2012 - 21:03 — gvillegatrThis Dook team simply isn't like all the others. They're missing leadership and a true go to guy who you can consistently count on. I'll fall short of feeling sorry for them, though ! :)
Duke loss bad for hoops???
Sat, 03/10/2012 - 20:19 — mjjunkI don't see how "Duke loss bad for hoops" is a valid statement. If anything it will get the monopolizing team out of the way to allow other teams a chance to build their programs. The statement is like saying that a Walmart closing is bad for small business.