Duke basketball: Team USA continues plummet since Coach K departure

Team USA has seen severe struggles since the departure of Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski. 

Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski made the decision to depart the sidelines of Team USA in 2016, and since the Hall of Famer focused on Durham alone, the Americans have struggled mightily.

For the second time in three days, Team USA has lost an international men’s basketball exhibition in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

Since using professional basketball players in 1992, Team USA had been 54-2 in exhibitions prior to Saturday’s loss to Nigeria.

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In its prior two meetings against Nigeria, the Americans won by a combined 127 points, and Team USA had been 39-0 in their last three Olympic seasons, including exhibitions.

All three of those years were coached by Mike Krzyzewski.

Monday, Team USA saw Australia end the exhibition game on an 11-1 run to win, 91-83.

In the first international competition since Coach K stepped down as Team USA’s head coach, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich guided the team to a seventh-place finish at the FIBA World Cup in 2019.

Krzyzewski was 75-1 as the head coach of the USA National Team while Popovich has already compiled five losses in two years.

Former Duke basketball star struggles in Team USA’s most recent defeat

The lone former Blue Devil on Team USA this summer is Jayson Tatum, and he played to his standards in the loss to Nigeria but fell short against Australia.

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Tatum posted 15 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range in the first loss of the summer, but just eight points, three rebounds, and four assists on 4-of-12 shooting and missing all six of his 3-point attempts on Monday night.

Team USA will try and pick up its first exhibition victory of the summer against Argentina on Tuesday, July 13 at 6:00pm EST (NBCSN) as Olympic play begins on July 25 against France.