Duke’s Krzyzewski to have back surgery, miss 3-4 weeks
DURHAM, N.C. — Hall of Fame Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is stepping away from the team to have lower back surgery.
The school announced Monday that the procedure is scheduled for Friday, with an anticipated recovery time of four weeks.
Krzyzewski will coach Wednesday night’s game against Georgia Tech before handing off to associate head coach Jeff Capel for Saturday’s home game against Boston College.
Krzyzewski, 69, will have a fragment of a herniated disk removed at Duke University Hospital. The school says Krzyzewski tried several treatment options during the past month before deciding on surgery.
Krzyzewski said in a statement that he consulted with the university’s medical team and “together, we have determined that surgery is the best course of action at this time.” He says the Blue Devils will “be in the capable hands” of Capel and assistants Nate James and Jon Scheyer.
The winningest men’s coach in Division I history had four surgeries during the offseason to replace his left knee, repair his left ankle and fix a hernia. He squeezed those procedures into a busy summer in which he also led the U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.
Monday’s announcement marks the latest twist in an already drama-filled season for a team voted No. 1 in the preseason on the strength of a lineup led by preseason AP All-American guard Grayson Allen and four immediate-impact freshmen.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils (12-2) were routed at Virginia Tech in the first game of Allen’s indefinite suspension for tripping yet another opponent. And those freshmen — Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden and Frank Jackson — have played in the same game only three times because of various injuries.
The Blue Devils dropped three spots to No. 8 — their lowest ranking of the season — in the AP Top 25 released Monday .
Top 25 women
N.C. STATE 70, (6) FLORIDA
STATE 61: In Tallahassee, Fla., on Monday, Ashley Wilson scored 19 points and Chelsea Nelson added 17 to help the Wolfpack (12-3, 2-0 ACC) end the Seminoles’ 12-game winning streak.
Leticia Romero scored 20 points for Florida State (13-2, 1-1). (13) DUKE 58, (8) LOUISVILLE 55: In Durham, N.C., Lexie Brown scored 17 points and Duke (13-1, 1-0 ACC) beat Louisville for its ninth straight win. Myisha Hines-Allen had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Cardinals (13-3, 1-1), who had won seven in a row. (7) NOTRE DAME 55, GEORGIA TECH 38: In Atlanta, Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half, Brianna Turner had nine points and 11 rebounds and Notre Dame (132, 10-1) beat Georgia Tech after seeing a 35-game ACC winning streak end last week at North Carolina State. Tech (11-3, 0-1) missed 22 of its first 28 shots from the field and had 12 turnovers when consecutive jumpers by Kristina Nelson made it 34-11 at the 2:14 mark of the second.
(14) MIAMI 82, PITTSBURGH
50: In Pittsburgh, Laura Cornelius was 8-of-8 from the field, including six 3-pointers, and both of her free throw attempts to finish with a career-high 24 points and Miami (12-2, 1-1) scored 30 points off Pitt’s (9-5, 0-1) season-high 26 turnovers. (18) VIRGINIA TECH 76, NORTH CAROLINA 68: In Blacksburg, Va., Regan Magarity scored 24 points and tied a career high with 17 rebounds to help Virginia Tech (14-0) beat North Carolina (11-3) in the ACC opener for both teams. No. 23 DEPAUL 61, PROVIDENCE 56: In Chicago, Brooke Schulte had 23 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in a late 12-0 run and DePaul (11-4, 3-0 Big East) won its fifth straight. Yoyo Nogic had 16 points for Providence (9-5, 1-2).