A Key to Duke vs Arizona

How Kyrie Irving playing significant minutes will affect his teammates: After Duke's 8th game of the season, the Blue Devils were ranked number one and looked like the best team in the country. Duke's 8th win came at a cost though because their star point guard Kyrie Irving left the game with a toe injury. His first games back were in the second and third round of the NCAA tournament were he only played 20 minutes in each. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said that his star point guard will play "significant minutes" for the first time since the injury against Butler. Krzyzewsk said, "If I wasn't sure that he could play then I wouldn't play him." Irving will not be in the starting lineup however in Duke's sweet sixteen game against Arizona. Kyrie missed 26 straight games before returning in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Although Irving's ability to score and distribute the basketball was greatly missed, other guys like Seth Curry were able to step up and play very well. In Duke's two point third round win over Michigan, Seth Curry only took 3 shots and had 0 points. Mason Plumlee scored four points on only two shot attempts in that game. It will be interesting to see what the confidence of guys like Curry and Plumlee will be as their roles have changed with the addition of Irving on the floor. Curry only played 23 minutes in the third round and forced 3 three pointers. If Curry comes in and feels like he has to score and force shots, he may struggle. Plumlee also saw reduced minutes as he played less than a half at 18 minutes. Mason will be a huge factor if Duke wants to repeat as national champions because they don't have a real post presence if he isn't playing well. Not only will Irving's return affect some of the major role players, but it may change the role of ACC player of the year Nolan Smith. With Kyrie returning at the point guard position, Smith won't be directing the offense on every possession. The ball may not always be in his hands and you have to wonder how Irving's return will affect the Blue Devils chemistry. It is very difficult to determine how much you play a guy after he has been out for so long. Arizona head coach Sean Miller said, "I don't know if there has been another situation where you have almost a No. 1 seed without a player [Kyrie Irving] that many people would say is their best player, and now he's back in the equation."