Duke Basketball: Blue Devils’ tired legs beg for Jack White’s revival

A full return of the ferociousness from the pit bull off the Duke basketball bench — a requirement to keep starters fresh — may require an ugly streak to soon end.

With the rivalry of all rivalries a few days away and March around the corner, the Duke basketball players are tired.

Uh oh. Here we go again. That’s not what fans want to hear at this time of year.

Following the 94-78 home win of No. 2 Duke (23-2; 11-1 ACC) over N.C. State (18-8; 6-7 ACC) on Saturday night, Blue Devil coach Mike Krzyzewski told the media that his players “need a day off…to get fresh.”

"“We’re a very tired team,” Coach K said. “We’ve had a few kids sick. On Wednesday and Thursday, R.J. [Barrett] was just throwing up for the full two days. I was shocked that he could even practice even a little bit yesterday, and then he plays 38 minutes today. Today, Marques [Bolden] was really sick, and he played. It’s just that time. There’s so much. You’re playing all these games with all the travel.”"

Well, the squad has no traveling to do between now and its home game against No. 8 UNC (20-5; 10-2 ACC) on Wednesday at 9 p.m. (on ESPN and Raycom).

Sounds like all the Blue Devils need is the equivalent a B12 shot, which could come in the form of their former sixth man’s rebirth. But that may not be complete until Jack White again hits paydirt on a 3-point shot.

When he’s clicking, the junior co-captain, a pleasant surprise to Duke basketball fans at the start of the season, serves as an optimal first guy off the bench — as he was for the first 14 games — because he has the game, frame, and athleticism to adequately replace a starter at positions two through five.

But the 6-foot-7, 225-pound Aussie hasn’t been clicking lately. He’s been missing — 20 straight (ouch) from beyond the arc dating back to the last-second win at Florida State on Jan. 12.

ALSO READ: Jack White’s shooting slump should have a simple solution

And the misses have obviously taken a toll on the rest of his game. Across the first 14 games of the season, White averaged 7.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks; he’s averaging just 1.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks ever since.

As a result of his lackluster performances growing in number alongside his streak of misses from deep, seven games ago, his playing time — was 27.4 minutes per game after the 18th game — fell off the side of a cliff and snagged to a branch about halfway down. Across the past seven games, White’s sneakers have touched the floor just 12.7 minutes per game and not once for more than 15.

Basically, he’s lost his sixth-man role. And that’s unfortunate for Duke. Because no other Blue Devil at his best can fulfill that role better than the best version of White.

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That being said, White showed flashes of his former self against the Wolfpack, assertively snatching loose balls and playing with a level of energy on both ends of the floor that fans had once come to expect. Though he only finished with six points, one rebound, and one block (a beauty) across 14 minutes, his effort caught the attention of the only person capable of giving him more minutes.

"“I’m hoping [his play against State] will get him [back] to playing like he was,” said Duke’s 39th-year coach, who with the win against the Wolfpack now has the most all-time wins at any division (1,123), surpassing former D-II coach Harry Statham. “He’s been such a good player for us. The last month he’s been playing okay, but he’s been like a shell of who he was — because he was so good. He had that dunk, the good pass and then a dunk…He made a great defensive play. Hopefully, that’s a sign of him being who he was the first half of the season.”"

Who he was is plenty to give members of the college game’s best starting five a breather without the team skipping a beat.

The return of who he was would help with the team’s outside shooting (he was Duke’s top marksman from downtown through the first 13 games, having knocked down 41.2 percent of his attempts). The return of who he was is what could spell the difference between a nice season and a legendary season for the Blue Devils.

In summary, who he was is the junkyard dog his teammates want to hear growl again in order to help them frighten their rivals on Wednesday and all other opponents through April 8.

"“Jack [White] played really well today,” praised freshman sensation Barrett, who recorded a triple-double — 23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists — the program’s first since 2006 and fourth all-time. “And we just played hard as a team.”"