Mike Krzyzewski looked more like this when he was coaching Danny Meagher, who he has consistently called one of the toughest players at Duke. Credit: N&O ARCHIVES

For today's paper, I wrote about the importance of senior leadership in the NCAA Tournament. It's up to the coaches and underclassmen to get on the page of the seniors at this time of year, Mike Krzyzewski said.

That's not a new idea. Shane Battier said about a month ago that Duke is a upperclassmen-driven program. And on Tuesday, Seth Curry talked about the best leader he has seen in his four years at Duke: Lance Thomas.

Duke's Mason Plumlee joins a long list of Blue Devil all-Americans. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Mason Plumlee is a first-team all-ACC selection by the coaches and the media. Now, he has another descriptor he can add to his bio: All-American.

Plumlee was named a second-team all-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, which released its two teams Monday. Plumlee is the second Blue Devil to receive all-American honors this year, joining Seth Curry, a second team all-American selection by the Sporting News.

Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry continued to add to their postseason awards collection when both were named to the inaugural coaches all-ACC team.

Plumlee was a unanimous selection along with Virginia's Joe Harris. Plumlee ranks second in the league in scoring (17.2 points per game), rebounding (10.2 boards per game) and field goal percentage (59.2 percent). He also ranks among the top five in blocked shots and minutes played. Earlier this month, the senior was named to the all-ACC team voted on by the media.

Plumlee was also a member of the coaches all-ACC defensive team.

Performances like the one at Virginia ultimately kept Duke from a No. 1 seed. And because the Cavaliers didn't win big games away from home, they are in the NIT. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

So how did the team ranked No. 1 in the RPI and in strength of schedule get a No. 2 seed?

With slightly more polish, that's what I asked NCAA selection committee chairman Mike Bobinski on his conference call last night.

Defensive efforts from Quinn Cook and Tyler Thronton will be vital in containing the height-challenged Great Danes. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Albany (24-10)

PPG: 64.4 Allowed: 60.3

How they got here:

Automatic bid as America East champion.

The Great Danes finished fifth in their conference during the regular season, but a 61-59 upset of No. 1 Stony Brook in the semifinals and a 53-49 win over No. 2 Vermont sealed their bid. Guard Jacob Iati hit two late 3s to avenge two regular-season losses to Vermont and send Albany dancing for the first time since 2007. The Great Danes have an RPI of 128, according to ESPN, and their best win was a 63-62 victory at Washington on Nov. 13.

What they do best:

Duke will begin its road to Atlanta in Philadelphia. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

The Blue Devils gathered Sunday night at the University Club in Durham for a team dinner and to watch the NCAA tournament selection show. After finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 in strength of schedule and in the RPI, Duke’s reward was a No. 2 seed in the bracket with the top overall team.

The Blue Devils’ quest for the program’s fifth title will begin in Philadelphia, where they will play No. 15 Albany (24-10) at 12:15 p.m. Friday. Should Duke advance, the winner of the Cincinnati-Creighton matchup awaits.

It was a tough day for Duke's perimeter defenders. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

GREENSBORO—One week ago, Duke turned in a surprising performance. It would have been hard to predict such a dominant showing—a game that was over within the first three minutes—against what was then a hot North Carolina team.

Yesterday, Duke served up another surprise. It would have been hard to predict a worse showing against an NIT-bound Maryland. The Blue Devils made Dez Wells look like an all-American, pressing up on him just so he could beat them with a quick step on his way to the basket and a career-high 30 points.

The perimeter also struggled to keep up with Maryland's passing, as the Terrapins recorded assists on 69.2 percent of their baskets.

So, to state the obvious, Duke's defense—which has not gotten statistically better with Ryan Kelly's return—was awful against the Terrapins. Duke surrendered 1.19 points per possession. To put that into perspective, the Blue Devils gave up 1.15 points per possession in their embarrassing loss at Miami.

Dez Wells had a career day against Duke. Credit: ETHAN HYMAN

GREENSBORO—It took Mike Krzyzewski 93 seconds to realize something wasn’t quite right.

The Duke coach called a quick timeout after two Duke misses and two Maryland baskets in attempt to fix what he saw. But the problems for Duke persisted all 40 minutes, as No. 7 seed Maryland played like a team desperate for an NCAA bid in an 83-74 win.

“They had a sense of urgency today that we didn’t,” Seth Curry said. “Because we knew we had another game to play, I felt like.”

Duke opens up ACC tournament action with a rubber match against Maryland. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke vs. Maryland
When: 7 p.m.
Where:Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
TV/RadioESPNU, WKIX-102.9 FM
Talking points: Defensive success: how Duke measures it, and how the Blue Devils stack up according to Ken Pomeroy.

Projected starting lineups

N. 7 Maryland (21-11, 8-10 in the ACC)
G Pe’Shon Howard, 3.3 ppg, 3.7 apg
G Nick Faust, 9.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg
G-F Dez Wells, 12.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg
G-F Jake Layman, 5.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg
C Alex Len, 11.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg

No. 2 Duke (27-4, 14-4)

G Quinn Cook, So., 12.5 ppg, 5.3 apg
G Seth Curry, Sr., 17.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
G Tyler Thornton, Jr., 3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F Ryan Kelly, Sr., 14.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg
F Mason Plumlee, Sr., 17.2 ppg, 10.3 rpg

Player to watch:

Seth Curry, Duke

Mike Krzyzewski was right on when he called Mason one of the best in the country in October. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

The postseason will officially be upon us at noon tomorrow, when the first game of the ACC Tournament tips. But before that, there is a bit of time to reflect on the regular season that was.

Ending the regular season with a 27-4 record was a major accomplishment for the Blue Devils. It would not have been unreasonable for them to have accumulated four losses in November alone (look back at the Battle 4 Atlantis field and remember the matchups with Kentucky and Ohio State). But Duke ran the table in the nonconference season and, to borrow a metaphor from Mike Krzyzewski, kept the ship afloat for the 13 games Ryan Kelly missed with his right foot injury.

The main reason for all of this success is two-fold: better defense (Duke ranks 24th in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency ratings, a 46-spot improvement from last year—but more on that Friday), and a better Mason Plumlee.