No foul, no harm

Foul trouble has been burdensome for Duke in many of the Blue Devils' losses this year, including a Feb. 1 road loss to Syracuse in which three players fouled out.
Foul trouble has been burdensome for Duke in many of the Blue Devils' losses this year, including a Feb. 1 road loss to Syracuse in which three players fouled out.




“It was important because it kind of dictates the way you play," point guard Quinn Cook said about foul woes following Duke's ACC tournament loss to Virginia. "You don’t want to play too antsy with three or four fouls."



All of Duke's eight primary rotation players have suffered bouts of foul trouble throughout the season.


“It shouldn’t affect us, but it could make guys not as aggressive as they were at the beginning, just because you don’t want to pick up that fourth foul early in the [second] half, or pick up that third foul in the first half, so it knocks us back a little bit," Jefferson said following the second meeting between Duke and Virginia.





Despite limited minutes, Marshall Plumlee has also found himself in foul trouble for the Blue Devils five times this year.






“Just playing smart," Cook said. "Not getting too physical. You can get caught up in being too physical if it’s been a physical game and the game’s been called closely. You can’t be as physical as you want to be. You have to play smart and play through it.”

With just six games between the Blue Devils and cutting the nets down in North Texas, now is as good a time as any to raise the intelligence level on the court and keep the team's stars on the floor.

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