The Duke Blue Devils are off to a shaky start in the 2021 college basketball season, and their head coach Mike Krzyzewski has made serious remarks about canceling their non-conference games due to the pandemic. As a result, Alabama’s Nate Oats is not pleased with Coach K’s wild decision.

Here’s what happened. There’s been a spike in the number of active cases in the United States and Coach K is prioritizing health over basketball. Traveling across the country to compete against opponents is indeed dangerous, and here’s what Krzyzewski said: 

“I would just like for the safety, the mental health and the physical health of our players and staff to assess where we’re at.”

Coach K urged NCAA officials to “reassess”  the schedule of the tournament as games are being canceled due to COVID related reasons. 

“I know the NCAA is worried about the endgame,” Krzyzewski mentioned. “They’re not as worried about the game we’re playing right now.”

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Alabama’s HC fires harsh criticism against Duke Blue Devils’ Mike Krzyzewski

Opinions were divided after Coach K made startling comments about canceling the rest of Duke’s non-conference games in the season. Here’s what he said: 

“This is the best decision we could make as a program, in making sure that we are doing the right thing for our players. This will also allow our team to have time over the holidays to safely enjoy with their families.”

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This is indeed a shocking decision taken by the Blue Devils, as it leaves the impression that they’re sore losers. At least that’s what Alabama HC Nate Oats thinks. 

“Do you think if Coach K hadn’t lost the two nonconference games at home he’d still be saying that?” Oats enquired to reporters. “I think we’d have a whole lot more problems if we weren’t playing games.”

Oats is certainly not happy with how the Duke Blue Devils have advanced in this situation. They complied to play the season when the dates were announced. But now, they’ve called off non-conference games after suffering two bad losses against such opponents. 

However, the Duke Blue Devils stand by their decision for the moment. They are willing to cancel their non-conference games, citing health-related concerns. Coach K is taking a lot of flak for his statements, but is he actually right about the rising number of COVID cases ruining games? 

Also Read | Have the Recruiting Strategies of the Kentucky Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils Backfired this Season?