Duke’s defense off to slow start in ACC

There’s no questioning the talent or the offensive potential for No. 2 Duke with its star freshman class. Finding the defensive play to go with all that hasn’t been easy.

The Blue Devils allowed North Carolina State to shoot 55 percent after halftime in 96-85 road loss in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Jan. 6, one of several upset losses for AP Top 25 teams in the past week.

It was a continuation of shaky defensive play for a young team that trailed the Wolfpack throughout the second half in part because it couldn’t get any stops while giving up a series of drive-and-dish baskets. And the Blue Devils have allowed their first three league opponents combined to shoot nearly 49 percent both from the field and behind the arc.

“We know how to play defense,” freshman guard Trevon Duval said. “We go over it in practice every day. We do it in practice all the time. It’s just translating it to the game and talking. If we talk, then that puts us all in the position to make stops and make the right plays on defense.”

Duke (13-2, 1-2 ACC) ranked 104th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency by allowing 100 points per 100 possessions through Saturday’s games. Duval pointed to communication problems, while Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski said his team would just have to “keep working at it” after a “crappy” defensive showing and must learn how to handle the challenge of facing every opponent’s best shot.

Consider the Boston College loss on Dec. 9 as an example; the Eagles made 15 of 26 3-pointers in that one.

“We’re their opportunity,” Krzyzewski said. “They’ve never experienced anything like that, where the team you see on tape isn’t the team that shows up against you. And we have to be able to handle that.”

Of course, Duke’s 2015 team that won the national championship had its regular-season defensive struggles, too, only to figure things out. That group went from allowing 65.6 points and 43 percent shooting through the first 33 games to allowing 56.3 points and 38 percent shooting through six NCAA Tournament games.

“We’ve got to get better,” Krzyzewski said. “To me, it’s that simple. Now the process of getting there, that’s what we have to figure out. For the most part, we’ve been able to do that. And hopefully we’ll be able to do that again.” unscathed by beating Marquette and could earn a return trip to No. 1 come Jan. 8. third straight year.