Mike Krzyzewski claimed his halftime pep talk had nothing to do with Duke's dramatic turnaround Wednesday night.
"I don't even remember what I said," Krzyzewski said. "Nothing complimentary."
At the time, there was little to praise. The No. 6-ranked Blue Devils dug a 12-point halftime hole, then used smothering defense to rally and beat the Miami Hurricanes 81-74.
Jon Scheyer missed his first nine shots and Nolan Smith missed his first six for the Blue Devils, who shot 31 percent in the opening half to fall behind 37-25. But 22 turnovers doomed the Hurricanes, who attempted only 45 shots to 60 for the Blue Devils.
"In the second half our defense, especially in the first eight or nine minutes, was sensational," Krzyzewski said.
Better shooting helped, too. Scheyer, Smith and Kyle Singler combined for 49 points in the second half after totaling nine in the first half.
The Blue Devils (22-4, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) increased their league lead with their fifth win in a row. Smith said Krzyzewski made reference to the standings at halftime.
"He called us out," Smith said. "He let us know, 'It's now or never. You can take control of the ACC right now or put ourselves in a hole.'"
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