Duke senior associate athletic director Mike Cragg helps escort Mike Krzyzewski off the floor at Virginia. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Thoughts that didn't make the game story from Duke's 73-68 loss:

• Duke lost for the fourth time this year, and, once again, opposing fans rushed the court. The Blue Devils players and coaches, though, were caught in the swarming students, and a visibly upset Mike Krzyzewski had a tough time making his way off the floor.

After the game, Krzyzewski chose his words carefully, saying several times that he didn’t want to take away from Virginia’s great win. But he was bothered by the lack of protection for his players and coaches.

Seth Curry scored 23 second-half points, but Joe Harris (12) was unstoppable. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—All season, with or without Ryan Kelly, Duke has remained composed and steadily worked toward a strong regular season finish.
Suddenly, after a 73-68 loss at Virginia during which Duke was out-worked and left flustered, all of that is in doubt.

With the loss, No. 3 Duke (24-4, 11-4 in the ACC) has a one-game lead on UNC and the Cavaliers for second place. And the Blue Devils still have to host first-place Miami—who has clinched a share of the regular-season title—and pay the Tar Heels a visit.

Duke was consistently outworked and outhustled, and that was most evident in Virginia’s edge on the boards. Duke finished with just three offensive rebounds. The Cavaliers (20-8, 10-5) pulled down 27 defensive rebounds.

Joe Harris in particular took advantage of Duke’s lack of defensive energy. The junior finished with a career-high 36 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the floor. That was also the most points scored by an ACC player in a conference game this year.

“He got a lot of tough plays,” Seth Curry said. “Loose balls, offensive rebounds, and then just strong cuts and drives. He was the most physical person out there.”

Rasheed Sulaimon drives could be a key component to a Duke win at Virginia. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke at Virginia
When: 9:00 p.m.
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Va.
TV/Radio: ESPN/WKIX-102.9 FM
Storyline: Another chance for an ACC team to secure a resume-boosting win.

Projected starting lineups:

No. 3 Duke (24-3, 11-3 in the ACC)
G Quinn Cook, So., 12.1 ppg, 5.6 apg
G Seth Curry, Sr., 16.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg
G Rasheed Sulaimon, Fr., 12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F Josh Hairston, Jr., 2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F Mason Plumlee, Sr., 17.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg

Virginia (19-8, 9-5)
G Jontel Evans, Sr., 4.5 ppg, 5.3 apg
G Joe Harris, Jr., 16.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg
G Paul Jesperson, So., 5.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
F Akil Mitchell, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg
F Justin Anderson, Fr., 7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Player to watch:

Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke

Stop me if you've heard this before: a Duke defensive player is injured.

Continuing a trend from last season, LB Dominic McDonald, an early enrollee, underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. He will miss Spring practice.

McDonald flipped his commitment from Tennessee to Duke in December and arrived on campus in January, hoping to get a jump on preparation for next season. He could compete for playing time at one of the weaker positions on Duke's roster, but missing spring practice will be a significant setback for the three-star recruit.

David Cutcliffe has his staff in place, just in time for Monday's start of Spring practice. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

With Spring practice set to start Monday, Duke football has its coaching staff in place. Head coach David Cutcliffe assigned the last remaining open position, recruiting coordinator, to Zac Roper. In addition to serving that job, Roper, who is entering his sixth year on the staff, has also been promoted to special teams coordinator. Roper is the brother of Duke's offensive coordinator, Kurt, and played for Cutcliffe at Ole Miss.

The school also officially announced the promotion of Re'quan Boyette to running backs coach. Boyette, who played at Duke and graduated in 2009, had been a graduate assistant, and his promotion was previously reported Saturday.

Anthony Boone will lead the Duke offense in 2013. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke released its full 2013 football schedule Monday afternoon. Here it is:

Aug. 31 vs. N.C. Central
Sept. 7 at Memphis
Sept. 14 vs. Georgia Tech
Sept. 21 vs. Pittsburgh
Sept. 28 vs. Troy
Oct. 5 open

Ryan Kelly should be done wearing ties to games soon, as he hopes to be back on the court in time for senior night. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

DURHAM—The biggest news of the day came after Duke had beaten Boston College by the score of 89-68. In the Duke locker room, Ryan Kelly met with the media for the first time since his Jan. 8 right foot injury. The game story goes into full detail, but here's the cliff notes version:

+Kelly is definitely coming back this year.
+He hasn't started practicing in drills and with contact yet, but he hopes to this week week.
+He has been practicing his lateral movements on the floor and shooting as well ("I can still shoot it if you’re wondering," he said).
+As far as a return date, Kelly said he would like to be back for senior night (March 5) against Virginia Tech. Since he hasn't practiced yet, he said "some amazing things would have to happen" for him to play this week against Virginia or Miami.

A few more notes:

Both Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson set new career highs in scoring during Duke's win against Boston College. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

DURHAM—Signs of positive growth were in abundance during Duke’s 89-68 win over Boston College. Both of the Blue Devils’ freshmen set new career-highs for scoring. Mason Plumlee continued to bounce back from a tough last week and posted his 16th double-double of the year. But the most encouraging development happened after the game in the locker room, where Ryan Kelly met with the media for the first time since his Jan. 8 foot injury.

It’s no longer a question of if Kelly is coming back. That’s a given, and the only thing left to be determined is when.

“My foot is feeling good, and as this week progresses I think I can become more and more a part of practice,” he said. “Obviously I want to be ready for the (NCAA) Tournament, that’s the biggest thing, but it would certainly be very nice as well to get out there for my senior night.”

Duke hosts Virginia Tech on March 5 for senior night, a date just about a week away. Kelly has yet to go live in practice and still hasn’t done much running on the court, so “amazing things” would have to happen for him to play this week, he said.

Josh Hairston, coming off the best week of his career, is set to make his fifth start of the year. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke vs. Boston College
When: 2:00 p.m.
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
TV/Radio: WRAL/WKIX-102.9 FM
And? After three conference losses last year, Cameron has been kind to this Duke sqaud

Projected starting lineups:

No. 6 Duke (23-3, 10-3 in the ACC)
G Quinn Cook, So., 12.1 ppg, 3.8 apg
G Seth Curry, Sr., 17.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
G Rasheed Sulaimon, Fr., 11.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F Josh Hairston, Jr., 2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F Mason Plumlee, Sr., 17.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg

Boston College (12-14, 4-9)
G Joe Rahon, Fr., 10.0 ppg, 3.6 apg
G Olivier Hanlon, Fr., 14.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
G Lonnie Jackson, So., 9.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg
F Ryan Anderson, So., 15.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg
F Eddie Odio, So., 3.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Player to watch:

Josh Hairston, Duke

While his time in Durham was brief, Kyrie Irving did dazzle while he was on the court. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Every Saturday, the News & Observer takes a look around the ACC. That also provides an opportunity to check in with the Blue Devils and look for any emerging trends.

Duke’s performance against Virginia Tech was impressive, no matter what superlative or comparison is used.

Biggest ACC win since a 32-point drubbing of UNC in 2010.
Biggest ACC road win since 2005 at Florida State.
Highest 3-point percentage (70.6 percent) of any Division I road team this year.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski had another one after the game: The Blue Devils dominated the Hokies like Kyrie Irving dominated the New Orleans Hornets in the fourth quarter Wednesday.