Blue Devils Hold A Heavy Schedule Ahead

Into every life some rain must fall.

Unless you are the Duke basketball team.

Then ridiculous shots fall…into the basket at the buzzer. Certain losses become preposterous comeback victories. Championships become routine.

This, of course, engenders a fair amount of Duke hatred. And it is now Hater’s Month, even though Duke is 12-2 and ranked No. 8.

After Wednesday night’s game against Georgia Tech, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (pronounced Coach K) will take at least a month off. He has surgery scheduled for Friday to shave down a herniated disk in his back. Krzyzewski, soon to be 70, had four operations during the offseason: replacement of his left knee, a repair of his left ankle and surgery for a hernia. That would be enough summer fun for most of us, but he also coached the U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.

Assistant coach Jeff Capel will see the Blue Devils through a heavy schedule beginning Saturday with ACC foe Boston College. BC is the least of his worries – road games against No. 9 Louisville and No. 12 Florida State will be real headaches, especially if Grayson Allen remains suspended (he has served one game for kicking an opponent).

Hate Duke? Glory in it right now. The Blue Devils scrapped through a bunch of injuries to a talented freshman class. They will somehow find a way to torment their opponents and those who root against them when all is well.

So enjoy the next few weeks, haters. It may be all you get.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman